Who was Savitha Shan? Parents launch scholarship for low-income family students in memory of UT student killed in March shooting

Savitha Shan, an Indian-origin student was shot dead by an immigrant gunman, 53, in an Austin bar in March in Texas, USA. The 21-year-old was studying at the University of Texas and was the second victim of the shooting that killed three.

The only child of her family, her parents are now memorialising her through a scholarship fulfilling a dream she once held close to her heart.

Who was Savitha Shan?

Born in Texas, Savitha's family moved to Austin when she was two years old. She attended the Baranoff Elementary and graduated from ISD's Liberal Arts and Science Academy high school.

She went on to pursue a dual degree: a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management Information Systems and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from The University of Texas at Austin. Along with studying, she pursued numerous internships at companies such as PwC and others. Savitha has also been volunteering at the Austin Tamil Sangam, a community group for Tamil people in Austin since 2021, as per her LinkedIn.

As a high schooler, she set up a sticker shop on Etsy and donated her earnings to education nonprofits. She also had a YouTube channel called 'Studyfluff' where she had more than 20,000 followers.

The family had travelled to 25 countries together and Savitha had a wish of seeing all seven wonders of the world.

A scholarship honouring a dream

According to her parents, Savitha dreamt of creating a non-profit to help underprivileged students get higher education and they are working with UT to set up an endowed scholarship in her honour.

“She’s not [here] physically anymore, but we wanted to make sure her passion continues so we can benefit the society,” her father Shan Muthian said.

Her parents have set up the Savitha Shan Endowment Scholarship at The University of Texas to preserve their daughter's legacy. The scholarship will provide aid to 8-10 underprivileged students each year whose families make less than $125,000.

Currently, the couple hopes to raise $500,000 by the end of May with the university adding that it will match that amount for a total of $1 million. The university expects the funds to be awarded from 2027. “This endowed scholarship is paying it forward for Savitha,” said Savitha's father. “Donors may not receive tangible benefits, but they can become part of the paying-it-forward chain.”

Moreover, UT will award her a posthumous dual degree, fulfilling her lifelong dream of finishing college.