Students, Donors Meet at Inaugural Jonsson School Scholarship Dinner  

For Stephanie Barnard BS’25, receiving the Mason Brown Family Foundation Endowed Scholarship was more than necessary practical help. It was emotional.

“I was really encouraged when I received the scholarship,” said Barnard, who completed her degree in electrical and computer engineering in May 2025. “Obviously there was the financial impact, but also — I knew that someone believes in me.”

Barnard was one of many students in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science at The University of Texas at Dallas who had a chance to meet their benefactors at the inaugural scholarship dinner hosted by the Jonsson School and Development and Alumni Relations and sponsored by health care technology company Axxess. Cathryn Saldaña, a senior computer science major, performed the harp while about 100 attendees of students, donors, school leaders and executive board members enjoyed a plated dinner.

The audience also heard remarks from Andrew Olowu, chief technology officer at Axxess, and Dr. Stephanie G. Adams, Jonsson School dean and holder of the Lars Magnus Ericsson Chair.  The dinner was held at the entrance of the newly completed Athenaeum, home of the Crow Collection of Asian Art, which was completed in fall 2024. Adams described how the new space contributes to the vision of University founders.

“We seek to embody the values of our founder, J. Erik Jonsson,” said Adams, also a professor of systems engineering, “He envisioned Dallas-Fort Worth as a hub for international commerce, as well as a home for innovators.”

Adams continued, “Jonsson said, ‘Dream no small dreams, for they have no power to move the hearts of men,’ and I’ll add women. What do ‘no small dreams’ look like today?”

Farhan Jamil BS’25 in software engineering gave the keynote address.

“The decision to attend the Jonsson School is the decision that has truly shaped my career,” said Farhan, a former president of the UT Dallas chapter of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and the RoboSub student organizations who also conducted research as an undergraduate student.

“Every student here tonight and thousands more who will follow benefit from the support of our donors,” he said.

Jesse Inscom, a software engineering major who plans to graduate in August, remarked how UT Dallas has helped him to prepare for his UTDesign® Capstone project, including joining a mock practice at the company.

“The scholarship helped me to focus on my studies,” Inscom said.

While many students work during their college years, scholarships allow more room for students to take advantage of opportunities.

“Honestly, it was a big impact financially,” said Amitesh Singh Bais, a computer science graduate student who was awarded a Dean’s Scholarship. “Pursuing a master’s in the United States has been my plan since graduation from undergrad, but finances were the biggest obstacles.”

Iram Hasan, assistant dean of development and alumni relations, noted that more than $51 million has been raised toward the University’s New Dimensions campaign, and endowed scholarships allow the Jonsson School to continue supporting students year after year.

“Thank you for choosing to invest in the next generation of innovators,” Hasan said.