134 Aggies and Counting: How One Woman's Gift Continues To Grow and Support Students

Renee Zelman was a woman of remarkable spirit and unwavering grit. After losing her husband, Norman ’39, in 1965, she single-handedly ran their furniture business, never allowing challenges to slow her down. Her resilience was matched by her generosity. In her will, she left a bequest to create scholarships at Texas A&M University and The University of Texas—the couple’s alma maters.  

Inspired by role models who helped her afford her own education, Renee created the Norman and Renee Zelman Endowed Scholarship in Architecture at Texas A&M. She wanted the recipients of this gift to pay it forward, asking that when they could, they help others in the same way. Since her death in 2001, Renee’s endowed gift has continued to grow in value, resulting in greater annual payouts to deserving Aggies. 
 

A Dream Designed by Generosity 

Texas A&M College of Architecture doctoral student Rifat Tabassoom Tumpa ’27 (pictured above) is one of the deserving Aggies benefiting from Renee’s gift. After earning her bachelor’s degree in architecture from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Tumpa pursued a master’s degree in Sweden before moving to Texas in fall 2023. “Texas A&M’s global reputation in architecture, coupled with the opportunity to receive a fully funded education, made it the perfect choice for me,” she shared. “Coming from a middle-class family, studying abroad was something I could only dream of achieving through scholarships like this one.” 

Relieved of financial stress, Tumpa can focus on her research, which aims to reduce the environmental impact of construction through energy-efficient building design. But her long-term sights are set on one day giving back, either financially or by becoming a professor, to continue Renee’s generosity chain and help the next generation of students.