Scholarship program, ‘having someone there for you’ connects two Hokies for life
Julie Byrd and Rabihah Waheed forged their own paths to Virginia Tech nearly 30 years apart.
Yet today, they share a transcendent bond through the university.
Byrd lives in her hometown of Baltimore, Maryland. She graduated in 1995 with degrees in English and history.
Waheed grew up in Northern Virginia, where her parents immigrated from Pakistan. She’s a junior political science major with a minor in Arabic.
Their lives intersected in the university’s Beyond Boundaries Scholars program.
The initiative pairs individual students with donors. Eligible recipients include underrepresented, high achieving students. The university matches scholarship gifts from donors to students, dollar-for-dollar.
But the program represents much more than financial aid. For Byrd and Waheed, it’s a mentorship.
The two spent an afternoon together in Blacksburg reflecting on what the Beyond Boundaries Scholars experience means to them.
Actually making a difference
Byrd knew the program was the perfect fit.
She had given back to her alma mater for years. Now she wanted to become even more involved.
She directly attributes her more than 20 years of success as an executive in the finance and banking industries to the skills acquired while obtaining her liberal arts degree at Virginia Tech. She also has been reflecting on how scholarships had helped her attend college and ignite her career. Giving a fellow Hokie the same type of support felt like a powerful way to pay it forward.
Enter the Beyond Boundaries Scholars program.
"It’s really important to me to know that I’m actually making a difference in somebody else's life and helping enable them to go to college," said Byrd. “Rabihah reminds me, on a daily basis, why it’s so important to give and continue to be involved with the university.”
Waheed and Byrd relate to each other through a shared experience. Just as Byrd had to do, Waheed is navigating college life as a bright, tenacious first-generation student.
This connection has proven invaluable for Waheed.
"When you are a first gen, people don’t always realize how much having someone there for you — to look out for you — can shape how your four years go," she said before turning her attention to Byrd. “I’m glad you were the one to be paired up with me, because when I say these things, I feel like you understand.”
Matching with Byrd gives Waheed a mentor “to open up with and relate to, and who will tell me that it’s going to be OK when I need to hear it,” she said.
Waheed said her parents inspired her to work hard, go to college, and pursue a legal career. She’s determined to make them proud. Her dream job is to work in immigration and international law and help people find homes and refuge across the globe.
She’s well on her way to achieving her goal while seizing opportunities to learn outside the classroom.
She’s a member of the Undergraduate Student Senate and has been working with The Source, a space for networking and project collaboration for students involved in organizations.
She also started her own student group called South Asian Student Alliance, which aims to build community among students from the region and elsewhere.
This summer, Waheed completed an internship with the Virginia Tech National Security Institute, where she conducted undergraduate research.
Making lifelong memories and connections
When she’s not studying or working, Waheed said she enjoys spending time with her roommate, playing laser tag, and making “core memories” with friends, such as visiting the Hahn Cultural Garden to watch the koi swim.
Byrd made core memories as a student at Virginia Tech too. It’s where her then-boyfriend, Todd, proposed to her at the Duck Pond. And it’s where she experienced the blizzard of 1994, when the Blacksburg campus shut down for several days. Julie and Todd are now married and have a son, Josh, who is majoring in environmental conservation and society in the College of Natural Resources and Environment.
Byrd said she’s honored to be a part of the memories her mentee, Waheed, is making.
Since the Beyond Boundaries Scholars program launched in 2017, more than 100 households have helped students pursue their dreams.
Byrd said she encourages fellow alumni to join and contribute to a program that’s making a tangible difference for students.
“A lot of people think they have to give large dollar amounts,” she said. “The reality is, with Beyond Boundaries, you’re giving a relatively small amount, but it’s so significant to the students. And it allows you to watch someone grow and develop, and to know you’re helping them along their journey. It is incredibly meaningful.”
