Throughout her life, Sreoshi Chowdhury BS’21 has devoted her academic and volunteer work to serve others.
Now, as the fourth Texas Instruments Founders Leadership Fellow at The University of Texas at Dallas, she is gaining intensive experience in nonprofit management and fundraising operations to prepare her for the next step in her career.
“Even though my background is in a STEM [science, technology, engineering and math] field, my passion lies in nonprofits,” said Chowdhury, who began the fellowship while completing her degree in psychology and speech, language, and hearing sciences in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences. “I’ve seen that passion across all the teams I’ve worked with at UT Dallas. They are incredible people, and they really care about the University.”
The yearlong Texas Instruments Founders Leadership Fellows program, made possible by a gift from the Texas Instruments Foundation in 2018, trains Comets for careers in the nonprofit sector as they work in the Office of Development and Alumni Relations. The three previous fellows — Archie Nettles BS’11, MPA’18, Jessica Howell BA’19 and Tiffany Page Carter BA’21 — now work full time in the nonprofit and public sectors.
“I’ve had the opportunity to manage this program for the last five years, and I’m incredibly pleased to see how it’s helping forge career pathways for new nonprofit leaders in North Texas,” said Julie Piccirillo, senior director of corporate and foundation relations at UT Dallas.
To Apply
Applications for the 2022-23 TI Founders Leadership Fellowship are open to current UT Dallas seniors, graduate students and recent graduates. Those interested can apply through the University Career Center’s Handshake site.
For more information, contact program director Julie Piccirillo at 972-883-5378 or julie.piccirillo@utdallas.edu.
“This program’s principal goal is to encourage talented individuals to explore and join the nonprofit workforce. With supportive mentoring and comprehensive training, we aim to produce well-rounded, empathetic and committed servant leaders who will elevate their chosen fields and serve their communities,” Piccirillo said.
As a student, Chowdhury was president of the UT Dallas chapter of Pratham, which helps provide children in India with access to quality educational opportunities, and a member of Wishmakers at UTD, a student group that supports the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America. She also has worked as a medical scribe, pharmacy technician, behavioral technician, hospice bereavement coordinator and hospital volunteer.
As a TI Fellow, Chowdhury, who plans to pursue a master’s degree in psychology in the fall, has taken on responsibility for several projects, including grant submissions, and served as a volunteer leader during Comets Giving Days.
Her experiences as a fellow have given Chowdhury a behind-the-scenes look at the factors that have contributed to UT Dallas’ rapid growth.
“As a student you really don’t get to see these things, and it took me a while to realize that these buildings and programs don’t just appear,” she said. “I’ve gotten to see where that money comes from, who our donors are, how to build the relationships we need to make all this possible. All these things are truly important.”
Supported by one of the University’s most important philanthropic partners in Texas Instruments, the program is paying forward its benefit to the UT Dallas community.
“I could not be prouder of Archie, Jessi, Tiffany and Sreoshi for their hard work and dedication,” Piccirillo said. “I can’t wait to see how the next five years unfolds for them and this wonderful program.”
Previous Fellows: Where Are They Now?
As the inaugural TI Founders Leadership Fellow, Archie Nettles BS’11, MPA’18 focused on frontline fundraising, shadowing UT Dallas’ directors of development to understand the nuances of relationship building and donor management. After completing the fellowship, Nettles became a full-time assistant director of development in the Naveen Jindal School of Management, where he worked for two years before moving to his current position as a development officer at the George W. Bush Presidential Center. There he leads corporate and foundation relations and community engagement efforts to connect the North Texas community to the center.
Although her fellowship was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the experience Jessica Howell BA’19 gained interacting with donors gave her a broad overview of how a nonprofit works as well as a greater perspective on working with people and networking. Howell now teaches pre-K in Richardson and coaches basketball for the Community Independent School District in Nevada, Texas.
Tiffany Page Carter BA’21 participated in the fellowship remotely during the 2020-21 academic year. Her work on the corporate and foundation relations team provided her formative experiences that led to a full-time position as a development associate for corporate and foundation relations at UT Dallas. She also has returned as a student in the Master of Public Affairs program, while still working for the University and continuing to advance her career in the nonprofit sector.