Alumnus creates $100,000 endowed graduate fellowship in electrical engineering
Hard work throughout Laxmi and Raj Mrig’s careers led to professional success, and they are acknowledging the financial support they received during their graduate studies by endowing a $100,000 graduate fellowship for electrical engineering students at The University of Texas at Arlington.
The Laxmi and Raj Mrig Endowed Graduate Fellowship will provide scholarship funds for students who received all or a majority of their preparatory education in South Asia and have demonstrated financial need.
“I received a full scholarship from UTA for my master’s program in electrical engineering, and I wanted to pay it forward to another student in need,” Laxmi Mrig said.
Laxmi and his wife, Raj, both immigrated to the United States from India in the 1970s to pursue their graduate degrees.
“I came to this country with $300 in my pocket. Hard work, persistence and my UTA education gave me a great start in life,” Laxmi Mrig said. “I was able to get my family here, and we are enjoying the fruits of our labor now. I hope this scholarship benefits others, as the scholarship I received benefitted me and my family.”
Mrig earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Delhi University and arrived in Texas in January 1970 to continue his studies in the U.S. After earning his master’s degree at UTA, he designed power plants at Stearns Roger for six years, then joined the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to work on emerging solar photovoltaic technology.
Raj Mrig came to the U.S. in 1974 and received a scholarship to help her earn an MBA at the University of Denver. She then worked at Mobil for several years.
In 1987, the Mrigs launched EUCI, an organization that provides professional development training to individuals working in the energy, oil/gas, water/wastewater and infrastructure industries. Since then, EUCI has worked with more than 150,000 professionals.
“We are grateful to Laxmi and Raj Mrig for their generous support of UTA’s electrical engineering students,” said Diana Huffaker, chair of the Electrical Engineering Department. “Their stories are a shining example of how scholarships can lead to great things, and we are honored that they have chosen to support our department in this way.”
With this new graduate fellowship, the Mrigs say they are recognizing the impact that their scholarships had on their ability both to begin their careers on solid footing and freely pursue their goals. They said they hope to give a new generation of electrical engineering students the same head start.
“This is still a land of opportunity,” Laxmi Mrig said. “Our family has worked really hard to get where we are today. This country still values hard work and rewards accordingly. This is the most satisfying lesson we have learned, and we would like to be able to help others as we were helped.”
- Written by Jeremy Agor, College of Engineering