As Students, These Aggies Received the Same Scholarship. As Former Students, It’s Still Impacting Their Lives.

With the financial support from the Pitcocks’ scholarship, Iqbal continued his degree in electrical engineering while expanding his impact on his Texas A&M community through organizations like the Texas A&M Foundation’s Maroon Coats and his role as Deputy Corps Commander. He graduated with awards including the Buck Weirus Spirit Award and the Foundation’s inaugural Trustees’ Outstanding Student Award—both of which he credits to the professors, peers and donors who poured into him.

At a recipient banquet for the Craig C. Brown Outstanding Senior Engineer Award, Iqbal met Craig Brown ’75, who offered him a position at Bray International, a Houston-based global leader in valve manufacturing. Drawn to the company’s values, he joined as a design engineer and now serves as a vice president of control valves and automation, managing all of Bray’s technical products worldwide. Carrying forward the spirit of selfless service, he consistently looks for ways to support others. “Every day, I try to do one thing to make someone’s life better, whether by making a difference on a global scale through my role at Bray or volunteering in my Texas community,” Iqbal said. “That’s the spirit Texas A&M instilled in me.”

Reflecting on his time at Texas A&M, Iqbal credits the scholarships he received with transforming his parents’ dreams into reality. “Take Texas A&M out of my life, and you take away everything,” he said. “Without the Pitcocks’ scholarship, I couldn’t have attended Texas A&M, and none of this would have been possible.”  

Between biology courses and Corps duties, she immersed herself in all that Texas A&M had to offer. As a sophomore, she served as Reveille IX’s handler—the first woman to hold that position—and balanced football game travel with preparations to follow in her mother’s footsteps by applying to nursing school. After earning admission to the College of Nursing, she rose through the Corps’ ranks, serving as sergeant major and 2nd Regiment major unit commander, all while completing 12-hour clinical rotations. “Being that involved would not have been possible if I’d also had a job,” Miller said. “The Pitcocks’ generosity allowed me to do it all.”

After graduating, Miller commissioned into the Marine Corps, where she continues to live out the Aggie core values as a Logistics Officer for the 7th Engineer Support Battalion, working to ensure her battalion’s combat engineers have everything they need to fulfill their mission. Upon completing her active service, she plans to pursue a career as an ER nurse, inspired by her passion for caring for patients at their most vulnerable moments. “Graduating from nursing school without debt has been an incredible privilege,” she said. “It’s given me the freedom to focus fully on serving others.”

Thomas knew his future in the Air Force would require strong leadership, so he studied strategic communication and earned a certificate in leadership from the Hollingsworth Center for Ethical Leadership. “Through my courses, I learned how to lead with purpose and applied the lessons from class in every role I held, becoming a better servant leader,” Thomas said. Thanks to the Pitcocks’ gift, he had time to gain leadership experience at Texas A&M, serving as a unit commanding officer, Corps chaplain and vice president of marketing and communication for the 1879 Society Ambassadors, among other roles.

Upon graduation, Thomas began working as an Air Force recruiter in the Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C., area, speaking to high school students about how a military career can open doors. He married his wife, Caleigh ’24, in June. In August, they moved to Oklahoma, where Thomas started undergraduate pilot training, the Air Force’s initial flight program. He looks forward to advancing into specialized flight training to prepare for future assignments after completing the program. “I am proud to carry on the Aggie Spirit by serving our country,” Thomas said. “Thanks to the scholarship I received, I had time to develop my leadership skills, which will be invaluable as I take on new challenges in the years ahead.”