A first-generation student, Abdulali came to UVA through the QuestBridge program, which helps outstanding low-income high school seniors gain admission and a scholarship to the nation’s most selective colleges. The daughter of Indian and Pakistani parents, Abdulali worked two jobs while on Grounds, including at Cavalier Connect, the University’s telephone fundraising program, where contacting alumni was standard procedure.
The McIntire School student revealed a snippet of her journey on the call, and Banbury, a McIntire School product who went on to an accomplished career in the packaging industry, was struck by her background and the way she steered him to consider a gift to the Madison House, the nonprofit that pairs UVA students with regional volunteer opportunities.
“She gave off this aura of success,” Banbury said. “It wasn’t like she was obsessed with wanting to be a millionaire by the time she was 30. It was more success in wanting to help others. I was so impressed. We talked for over an hour.”
A few weeks later, Abdulali learned that the Madison House received a donation from Banbury as well as a four-page handwritten letter addressed to her.
“It was Jack saying that he was so inspired by what I told him, and he loved the story that he heard from me,” Abdulali said. “It ended with ‘much love there is,’ a quote our team has adopted as a core belief throughout the creation of the (scholarship) program.”
Their relationship blossomed, and Banbury became aware of the One Generation Network, a UVA club for first-generation and/or low-income students pursuing business founded by Abdulali and her friend and McIntire School classmate, Manish Dahal.
Like Abdulali, who started a henna tattoo business as a teenager to help support her family, Dahal was also hustling at a young age.
Dahal moved with his family from Nepal to Charlottesville when he was 6 and worked multiple jobs through high school and college. He also volunteered at UVA, most notably as the director of a tax-filing program at the Madison House.
“Early on, I understood the importance of hard work and resilience while overcoming obstacles,” said Dahal, whose parents immigrated to the U.S. for a better future for their three children. “My parents, I had an hour window to see them in the morning and at night. Seeing my parents work hard to provide for us made me realize how lucky I am to have them as a support system. This motivated me to give back to my community at an early age.”
Abdulali, who grew up in a household of five children, was born in Chicago and then moved to Georgia and Florida before college. With the family in debt after several unsuccessful business ventures, they rallied together. Abdulali began tattooing. Abdulali’s mother created a business out of making roti, an Indian flatbread.
Despite hardships, both Abdulali and Dahal walked the Lawn last spring with McIntire School degrees. Abdulali is now a business analyst at McKinsey & Company in Atlanta, while Dahal is an associate at MicroStrategy in Northern Virginia.
Now, thanks to Banbury’s generosity, they’ve established the McIntire First Generation Scholarship, an opportunity for others to follow in their footsteps.
“It was supposed to be a micro scholarship for One Generation Network,” Abdulali said, “but because Manish and I dreamed big, it’s become a whole endowment.”
The students selected for the scholarship, in addition to receiving $1,000 in financial aid, will have access to a UVA alumni-based professional mentoring program.
Abdulali, Dahal and Banbury’s long-term goals are to grow the endowment to $250,000 in seven to 10 years and have two yearly scholarships of up to $10,000 each. They also envision this scholarship eventually expanding to benefit first-generation and/or low-income students across Grounds and beyond those enrolled at the McIntire School.
Banbury’s support comes from the heart. His appreciation for those who battle adversity has roots in his second year at UVA when his mother died in a car accident. He now spends his days in Louisville, Kentucky, volunteering at food pantries.
“It’s just so great to see how Manish and Sarrah have forged through their hardships,” Banbury said. “They’re both going to be so successful. It’s a privilege just to be associated with them.”
