What starts here is only the beginning. In January 2020, The University of Texas at Austin and the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation launched UT for Me – Powered by Dell Scholars. It’s a world-changing $100 million investment to help UT students with significant financial need succeed.

Through UT for Me, all Pell-eligible Longhorns receive personalized support throughout their time at UT Austin, helping them stay on track toward graduation. In addition to providing participating students with a laptop and a textbook credit, the program serves as a one-stop resource center and support system, helping students connect with university resources and programs to fit their individual needs. 

Neer Jain, a student in the McCombs School of Business, says UT for Me provided him with a ready-made network. “One of the things I was craving as I entered UT was a community feeling,” says Jain. “The community that came along with UT for Me was a game-changer.”

After the COVID-19 pandemic meant a year of virtual learning for accounting major Kim-San Ngo, UT for Me made a difference. “The biggest support is just knowing that people are there,” says Ngo. “Transitioning to college is hard enough as it is. I had a lot of questions and emotions that I didn’t know what to do with and it felt very nice to have people supporting me.”

This video is part of World-Changing Gifts, a series highlighting the impact of transformational investments made during UT’s What Starts Here fundraising campaign.