Texas A&M University-Commerce has announced a $1 million gift from alumni Sandra Lyday Fernandes and Gary Fernandes.

The endowment includes a student scholarship fund for first-generation students from rural northeast Texas. The scholarship will award $5,000 per year for up to four years.

First-generation college students themselves, the Fernandeses have supported numerous initiatives at TAMUC, including a scholarship fund to benefit members of the Boys and Girls Club of Dallas and Honey Grove High School graduates; an endowed professorship at the College of Business; and the Marilie and Ron Hunter Memorial Scholarship endowment. The couple, who are the first TAMUC donors to exceed $1 million in lifetime giving, also helped launch the university’s Equine Studies program and Lyday Gardens.

“We’ve always felt that helping young people achieve an education is one of the most important things we could do with our resources,” said Gary Fernandes. “We wanted to start this endowment during our lives so we can see the fruits of our labor, but we also want our efforts to last beyond our lifetime.”

(Photo credit: Texas A&M University-Commerce)