US university commencement: Anil Kochhar, a donor to North Carolina State University, made a significant announcement during the recent commencement ceremony for the Wilson College of Textiles. Speaking as the keynote speaker, Kochhar revealed that he would pay off any student loans taken out by the college’s graduating students during their senior year. This gesture aims to give graduates greater freedom to pursue their goals without the burden of last-year debt.
Support for Wilson College of Textiles graduates
Kochhar, an Indian American entrepreneur and co-founder of a healthcare technology software company, addressed the graduating class of 2026, which included 176 bachelor’s degree recipients and 26 master’s degree recipients. The ceremony took place at North Carolina State’s William Neal Reynolds Coliseum.
During his speech, Kochhar expressed his hope that graduates would leave not only with their degrees but also with the freedom to take risks and build the lives they have worked hard to achieve. His announcement was met with loud cheers, applause, and a standing ovation from the audience.
Honoring a family legacy
The decision to pay off the senior-year student loans was made by Anil Kochhar and his wife, Marilyn, in honor of Anil’s late father, Prakash Chand Kochhar. Prakash Kochhar was an alumnus of North Carolina State University, having enrolled in 1946 and earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in textile manufacturing by 1952.
Prakash Kochhar’s education and career took him across the United States and around the world. Anil Kochhar reflected on how his father could not have imagined the life his education would create or that his son would one day speak at the same institution. He noted that his father would have been exhilarated to see a new generation shaped by a different world but connected by the same spirit of possibility.
Impact of the gift
David Hinks, the leader of the Wilson College of Textiles and dean whose position is named after Prakash Kochhar, described the gift as “an extraordinary investment” in the newest alumni. Among the graduates was Alyssa D’Costa, who expressed that the financial support would help her and her family significantly.
Kochhar concluded his address by encouraging the graduates to embrace their futures without the burden of last-year debt, saying, “Graduates, the world is waiting for what you create – with no friggin’ last-year debt. Go get ’em.”