Savitha Shan Honored with Posthumous Degrees and Scholarship Fund After Mass Shooting

21-year-old Indian-origin Savitha Shan would have graduated by May, but her life was cut short by a March 1 mass shooting. Her parents Shan Muthian and Selvi Shan refuse to continue grieving and announced the Savitha Shanmugasundaram Endowed Scholarship Fund. Her parents want to raise $500,000 as they invite donors to support underprivileged students. The University of Texas promised they would match dollar for dollar and the endowment would double to $1 million to honor Savitha's legacy. Donor names will be shared with the family unless anonymity is requested, the donation page said. Her memorial website said that apart from UT, several companies have committed to matching employee donations to the Savitha Shan Endowed Scholarship, which means they would match the amount any employee of theirs donates to the fund. The website listed Visa, PwC and Apple as the interested companies. Her father said the donors may not receive any tangible benefit but it is what would make Savitha happy, as she always wanted to help others. Her parents said they converted their grief into an opportunity for others. The fund would exist as long as the university is there. The interest of the $1000K endowment alone will fund 10 students every year.

Savitha Shan Women's Empowerment Award

Apart from the scholarship, the Shan family committed to sponsoring the Savitha Shan Women's Empowerment Award through the UT Austin Indian Students Association for the next decade. The first award was presented on April 25, 2026 to Pragnya Vella, a UT Austin student.

Who was Savitha Shan?

An Austin native, Savitha was a graduate of the Liberal Arts and Science Academy (LASA) high school. She found out about the Taco Bell Live Más Scholarship for four years at UT and got it on her own. After her graduation, she wanted to begin her career with a position at Visa. An avid traveller, Savitha had a goal of visiting 21 countries by the age of 21, and she completed 26 countries and 36 US states. Her parents remember her as a happy child who touched so many lives that they did not expect the community's reaction after her death. On the evening of February 28, 2026, Savitha coordinated guest transport and accommodations for the Raas Rodeo dance event she had helped organize. After seeing every guest safely off, she texted her mother: "Leaving now." She never came home. On March 1, 2026, Savitha lost her life in a mass shooting on 6th Street in downtown Austin — an incident tied to terrorism.

Savitha's parents received her posthumous dual degrees

On May 7, 2026, Savitha's parents received her dual degrees, a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the College of Liberal Arts and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management Information Systems from the McCombs School of Business.