By Amanda Alaniz

RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS – MAY 13, 2025 – It has been four years since UTRGV unveiled its Luminary Scholarship, a one-of-a-kind program that gives students a chance to complete their education – debt-free.

In return, when they graduate, they agree to give back to the Valley community for the same number of years in college. During Spring 2025 commencement ceremonies, nine students in the first Luminary cohort are about to walk the stage to accept their degree.

The Luminary Scholarship covers full tuition and fees for all four undergraduate years and housing for the first two academic years, along with graduate or professional education at UTRGV. UTRGV has recognized a total of three cohorts, with 24 students in each.

During the Spring 2025 Commencement ceremony, nine Luminary Scholars will be among the more than 3,200 Vaqueros graduating at the Bert Ogden Arena in Edinburg on May 16-17.

UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY

Vanessa Maldonado, UTRGV director of Student Services Centers and Scholarships, said offering the Luminary Scholarship sets UTRGV apart from other institutions, allowing it Scholars the ability to go to school, and potentially move on to medical school or graduate school, with no cost to the student.

Meeting the students, seeing how ambitious they are, then witnessing the progression once they reach graduation, is rewarding, she said.

“All of them are such a determined group of students. They have these very clear, ambitious goals that they work very hard to achieve,” Maldonado said. “It’s exciting to see what the future holds for these students and to be able to help them and support them in any way we can.”

STEP ONE TO FINDING SUCCESS

Muhammad Zubeir Noorani, a graduating economics major, is one the Luminary Scholars preparing for May commencement. He said he was thankful for the scholarship and appreciates how it is benefiting him as he ventures forward.

“I was on a road trip, driving across Texas, when I found out three years ago that I was a Scholar. When I got back home, that was when I really digested it. The biggest thing I was feeling was grateful,” the Edinburg resident said. 

Muhammad Zubeir Noorani, a graduating economics major, is one the Luminary Scholars preparing for May commencement. (UTRGV Photo by Paul Chouy)

Noorani’s parents decided that, once he started college and after living in McAllen for more than a decade, they were going to go live in Saudi Arabia where his father accepted a job offer. Noorani said he encouraged his father to take it, since it would be a “once in a lifetime” opportunity.

With the scholarship, a big weight was lifted; he would be living in the dorms for the first two years, getting a degree in economics, then continuing his journey into medical school. All these milestones would be of no cost to him.  

Now, he says, he feels ready and prepared for his future endeavors. His career goal is to become a medical doctor, helping the Rio Grande Valley community and eventually opening his own practice. Choosing to major in economics gave him the “know how” for working with insurance and understanding policies.

Looking at graduation, Noorani said, he’s nervous because it’s the end of one chapter and beginning of the next. He is the first to graduate from college on his mother’s side of the family, and he is proud that he has set an example for his cousins.

After graduation, he plans to take a short rest before starting his new journey – medical school.

“If someone asked me what it means to be a Luminary Scholar … it opens so many doors,” he said. “Being a scholar means you have this accomplishment; it’s something to be so proud of. And it shows you know what you want to do. You have a vision and care about your future.”

SMALL TOWN, BIG DREAMS

Fellow Luminary Scholar and future doctor Victoria Velazquez also will participate in the UTRGV Spring Commencement ceremonies, accepting her bachelor’s degree in biology with a concentration in Biological Sciences.

Science was always a field that had interested her, she said, and studying a science that dealt with understanding how the body works was a natural major for her.

“I don’t like not knowing things, I like to be informed. And when it comes to health, we all know someone who’s had health problems,” she said. “This is merging my interest in science and my interest in helping people.”

Biology not only blended her interests but also has helped her follow the path into medical school later this year. She owes a lot to the Luminary Scholarship for helping her with this big journey, she said. 

Fellow Luminary Scholar and future doctor Victoria Velazquez also will participate in the UTRGV Spring Commencement ceremonies, accepting her bachelor’s degree in biology with a concentration in Biological Sciences. (UTRGV Photo by Paul Chouy)

A Lasara resident, Velazquez recalls the moment she learned she would be inducted into the first Luminary cohort. The superintendent of her high school encouraged her to apply for the Luminary Scholarship. Once she did, she said, she would keep refreshing her email to see if there was any news.

When she got the notification, she had been waiting for, she immediately called her support system, her parents.

“I talked to them via FaceTime because I wanted to see their reactions and I told them the news. My mom started crying. My dad was excited,” she said. “I am so happy to have support from them and that they celebrate my achievements with me. They helped mold me into the person I am.”

Looking back at her undergrad college journey, she said, she did sometimes doubt herself and wonder if she could continue. But with the support of her family, UTRGV faculty and the Luminary Scholarship, she said, she is more than ready for the next chapter.

“I get to dream big, and I get to know that there are people in my corner,” she said. “Thank you, UTRGV, for believing in a small-town girl like me.”

UTRGV Spring 2025 Commencement ceremonies are happening Friday, May 16, and Saturday, May 17, at the Bert Ogden Arena in Edinburg, Texas.

For more information about commencement, visit https://www.utrgv.edu/commencement/.