Indian American serial entrepreneur Jagtar ‘Jay’ Chaudhry, CEO of cloud security firm ZScaler; and his wife P. Jyoti Chaudhry, have established the Chaudhry Family Scholarship Fund with a $4 million gift to the University of Cincinnati.
It will support first-generation, Pell-eligible students (students with exceptional financial need), in UC’s Gen-11MPACT House, a residential community, according to a report on the university website. Jay holds two masters’ degrees from the UC College of Engineering and Applied Science and earned his MBA from the UC Carl H. Lindner College of Business. Jyoti also has an MBA from the Lindner College of Business.
The generous and visionary donation will fund the UC education of approximately 150 students beginning in the fall of 2025, the report said. The scholarship fund will fill the financial gaps of every Pell-eligible student living in the Gen-1 1MPACT House after Federal Pell and other grants are awarded.
“I’m truly grateful that Jay and Jyoti are dedicated partners in our ongoing commitment to first-generation students,” said UC President Neville G. Pinto. “Their generosity will forever change the lives of these students, their families and their communities.”
UC’s Gen-1 Programme, established in 2008, is America’s first living-learning community to focus on first-generation college students. As the first in their families to attend college, Gen-1 students face unique challenges when transitioning to college. The Gen-1 Programme and 1MPACT House provide them with a structured environment in which to live, learn and work towards their degrees. This includes academic, personal and social programming; mentoring and tutoring; in-house academic advising; workshops on financial aid and studying abroad; cooking classes; cultural activities and service projects.
“We are very grateful for the excellent education we got at UC which played a significant role in our success. In fact, both of us got tuition scholarships for our graduate studies without which we couldn’t afford to get our masters’ degrees,” said Jay and Jyoti Chaudhry. “This scholarship fund is a gesture of our gratitude and appreciation to our alma mater that will help many needy students to complete their college education and change their and their families’ lives.”
Suzette Combs, director of the Gen-1 Programme and 1MPACT House, said the Chaudhrys’ gift removes financial stress and allows students to focus on their academic work and engage in extra-curricular opportunities that might include participating in study abroad programmes, internships, and campus leadership roles that align with their career goals.