Rich & Jill Piasecki

Why did you choose to include UT in your estate plan?

Jill and I both graduated from Purdue University in Indiana. Even though we aren’t Longhorns, Austin has been our home for 30 years, and UT is an important part of our city.

We believe in giving and donating because we feel it’s the right thing to do. We choose our charities based on our passions and causes that are important to us. As a cancer survivor, I know firsthand the importance of well-trained medical professionals. I am passionate about supporting medical education, so giving back to health care providers was top of mind.

We have made a bequest to Dell Medical School that will help future doctors focus on their patients and their studies without the burden of debt. Supporting endowments for medical students is a great way to help ensure that talented and motivated individuals have the opportunity to pursue a career in medicine, regardless of their financial circumstances.

What impact do you want your gift to make?

We hope to put our assets to use so they can help someone who is trying to do some good in the world. It’s nice to think our gift could help pay for a doctor’s education and that he or she will save some lives. We also hope our gift will inspire others to give. A lot of medical students graduate with huge student loans. It would be great if more people would support endowments so medical students could have their degrees paid for.