The Terry Foundation Has Been Supporting High-Achieving Aggies for Nearly Four Decades. What Are Some of Its Scholars Doing Now?

It started with a simple focus: invest in the next generation of students. That was the guiding idea behind Houston philanthropists Nancy and Howard Terry’s decision to establish the Terry Foundation Scholarship program in 1987 to support students from The University of Texas — Howard’s alma mater — and Texas A&M University — inspired by Howard’s experience serving alongside Aggies during World War II, where he developed a deep respect for the university’s core values and the kinds of leaders it produced.
 

Tammira Philippe ’95

Terry Scholar Class of 1991

When Tammira Philippe ’95 arrived at Texas A&M as a first-generation college student from Channelview, Texas, she carried both excitement and uncertainty about what the future might hold. “I wanted to show my parents and everyone who invested in me how much I appreciated their support and belief in my potential,” Philippe said. “I was determined to prove them right.” Her commitment to leadership and service earned her the Buck Weirus Spirit Award for her contributions to student life. As a computer science major, she quickly discovered a mindset that would shape her career: Complex problems are often simply smaller problems layered together. That mentality followed her from consulting to operational leadership and investment management.

After graduation, Philippe began her career at McKinsey & Company before later serving as CEO of Bridgeway Capital Management. Along the way, she also earned an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business and is a CFA charter holder. Today, she leads her own consulting firm, NPVTech. Throughout her career, she has grounded her leadership philosophy in a principle she once heard from a Terry Scholar candidate: “Leaders know the way, show the way and go the way.” For Philippe, leadership is less about position and more about influence and responsibility — values she traces directly to her experiences as a Terry Scholar and Aggie.

Grounded in her belief that opportunity carries a responsibility to give back with one’s time, talent and treasure when the moment comes, she also embraces the Terry and Aggie commitment to service by giving back in ways big and small, whether she’s offering moments of encouragement or mentoring students navigating their own paths. She also serves as co-chair of the Computer Science Advisory Council at Texas A&M and volunteers with the Terry Foundation’s investment committee. “None of us are self-made,” she said. “We are shaped by people who invest in us before we are proven. Giving back is simply continuing that investment chain.”
 

Meyling Ly Ortiz ’03

Terry Scholar Class of 1999

Today, as senior counsel of labor and employment for Toyota Motor North America, Meyling Ly-Ortiz ’03 carries a leadership philosophy rooted in service — one shaped by her time as a Terry Scholar at Texas A&M.

During her time in Aggieland as a speech communication major, she found opportunities to develop her leadership voice through campus involvement, particularly through serving as president of Delta Xi Nu, a multicultural sorority within the Multicultural Greek Council. Those experiences, supported by the Terry Foundation’s investment in her education, gave her the freedom to explore leadership without limits. She learned to connect with people from different backgrounds, influence decisions, and grow through trial and error. “If I had to sum it up,” she said, “it gave me the opportunity to fail quickly and often and to learn.”

After graduating from Texas A&M, Ortiz attended law school at Southern Methodist University before launching a legal career that would span both private practice and corporate leadership and earned her the honor of being named to D Magazine’s Dallas 500 list of the region’s most influential business leaders in 2023. Throughout that journey, the values of leadership, service and community emphasized by the Terry Foundation have remained central, shaping not only how she leads but also why she gives back. “You don’t have to have an official title or special status to influence your workplace or your community,” she said.

Beyond her pursuit of professional excellence, Ortiz is passionate about giving back through opportunities like The Podium, a nonprofit she co-founded to empower Asian American women lawyers. She also mentors aspiring attorneys, and as a first-generation college student, she sees mentorship as both a responsibility and an opportunity. “We all stand on the shoulders of those who came before us,” she said. “It’s only right that we give others a boost.”
 

Justin Benavidez ’13 ’16 ’18

Terry Scholar Class of 2009

Long before he was shaping national agricultural policy, Justin Benavidez ’13 ’16 ’18 was a teenager in the Texas Panhandle participating in livestock projects and speech competitions through 4-H. Those experiences sparked both his passion for agriculture and his ability to communicate complex ideas. Through annual trips to 4-H Roundup in College Station, Benavidez developed a dream of attending Texas A&M.

With support from the Terry Foundation, he ultimately earned three degrees in agricultural economics from the university and became the first student to graduate from the department’s honors program. Benavidez credits a defining moment early in college when an advisor encouraged him to apply for the new honors track. “I told my mom I didn’t think I was qualified,” he recalled. “She told me to try anyway. That’s when I learned the value of saying ‘yes.’”

That mindset shaped his career decisions as well. After graduation, he returned to the Panhandle to work with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, helping farmers and ranchers make informed marketing decisions before later moving into agricultural policy roles in Washington, D.C. Today, he serves as chief economist for the United States Department of Agriculture, providing economic analyses that help guide national agricultural policy. Despite the scale of his work, Benavidez remains quick to credit the people who supported him along the way, both in the Terry Scholar community and beyond. “I feel very lucky,” he said. “I’ve had a lot of people in my corner.”
 

Luis Banuelos ’17 ’19

Terry Scholar Class of 2013

For Luis Banuelos ’17 ’19, a career as a physician is more than a profession — it is a reflection of a service-driven mindset shaped during his time as a Terry Scholar at Texas A&M. “Health care is a very service-oriented career,” Banuelos said.

That mindset began to take shape in Aggieland, where Banuelos quickly found his place within the Terry Scholar community. Through the Terry Foundation student organization, he worked his way into leadership roles before eventually serving as president during his junior year. In that position, he helped establish a mentorship program that connected upperclassmen with incoming Terry Scholars — an experience that deepened both his friendships and his commitment to service. The opportunity to mentor others reflected the same support he experienced as a Terry Scholar, reinforcing a lasting responsibility to give back.
 

Banuelos earned a bachelor’s in biology and later a master’s in health promotion and community health science from Texas A&M. As a graduate student in the School of Public Health, he also completed a competitive internship with the World Health Organization, gaining firsthand insight into global health challenges and the many ways health care systems serve communities around the world.

Beyond his clinical work, he continues to mentor medical students, volunteer with Terry Scholar interview panels and participate in community health initiatives. Looking back, he credits Texas A&M and the Terry Scholar community with shaping his approach to both medicine and leadership. “I learned how to meet people where they are,” he said. “That has made the biggest difference in how I approach every patient interaction.”
 

Trevor Martinez ’26

Terry Scholar Class of 2022

Curiosity has always guided Trevor Martinez ’26. Growing up, he often watched his father diagnose mechanical problems at a small automotive shop while he spent hours reading science fiction nearby. Those experiences sparked an early fascination with discovery and a desire to better understand the living world.

Today, Martinez is pursuing a biology degree with a chemistry minor at Texas A&M while conducting research and preparing for a future in biotechnology and academia. Along the way, he has earned national recognition as a Goldwater Scholar, an honor awarded to promising young scientists. Yet for Martinez, the recognition is less about the achievement and more about the support from the Terry Foundation and those around him. “These awards remind me of the generosity and support I’ve received from mentors, instructors and my community,” he explained.

In true Terry Scholar style, service has also remained central to his college experience, from volunteering through 4-H to involvement with student organizations. After surviving a life-altering accident that resulted in the loss of part of his leg in 2018, Martinez developed a perspective on resilience and purpose that continues to shape how he lives out the very values the Terry Foundation seeks to cultivate. “Resilience is only half the solution,” he said. “The other half is using those obstacles as opportunities for growth.”

Looking ahead, Martinez hopes his research will contribute to advances in cancer immunotherapy and help save lives as he continues to build upon the foundation he’s received at Texas A&M. “Being a Terry Scholar has shaped how I approach everything,” he shared. “It’s taught me to seek out opportunities and take action instead of letting ideas stay as ‘what ifs.’”