The Gift of a Texas McCombs Education

Luis Pablo Rhi Helps Students From Rio Grande Valley Take on the World

Luis Pablo Rhi

Luis Pablo Rhi, BBA ’98 (second from left), with his brother Rene Rhi, B.A. ’00 and M.A. ’06 (far left), President Jay Hartzell (center), and parents Dr. Pablo Rhi-Perez, Ph.D. ’89, and Teresa Rhi-Perez.

For Luis Pablo Rhi, a native of Brownsville, earning a BBA in finance at The University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business did more than provide a top-tier education — it opened doors to the world. To ensure that other promising students have similar opportunities, Luis Pablo has established two endowments and a planned gift.

“It's funny how you can be anywhere in the world, and if you know someone went to UT, there's that natural ‘Longhorn family’ connection,” Luis Pablo says. He has made UT connections in cities as far and wide as New York, Moscow, São Paulo and London.

Amplifying Impact with Each Gift

Helping South Texas students pursue a world-class education at UT is a priority for Luis Pablo, who now conducts energy and utility investment research for Barrow Hanley Global Investors. Setting up two endowments — The Dr. Pablo and Teresa Rhi-Perez Endowed Scholarship in Business in honor of his parents and the Rhi-Springob Family Endowment in Athletics — has enabled Luis Pablo to accomplish this goal. Dr. Pablo Rhi-Perez is also a graduate of McCombs, earning a Ph.D. in marketing.

“It upsets me to see UT lose kids to other universities that offer greater financial assistance, especially for first-generation college kids from the valley,” Luis Pablo says. “I want there to be enough resources available for McCombs students with financial need. If students earn a place at McCombs, I don’t want financial concerns to be an obstacle.”

In thinking about the future, Luis Pablo decided that a planned gift is one way he can amplify the impact of his two endowments. “We gathered information from our estate lawyers and the helpful folks in the UT office,” he says, which made it simple to designate UT as a beneficiary of one of his retirement accounts. “This way, we know the impact is forever.”

Give Back to the Longhorn Family

There are many meaningful ways to support students, faculty and programs at the McCombs School of Business. Contact the Gift and Estate Planning Team for no-obligation help at 512-475-9632 or giftplan@austin.utexas.edu.