From “Bonus Season” to an Endowed Scholarship: How Four UHLC Alumni Turned Friendship into a Giving Opportunity

March 26, 2026 - The University of Houston Law Center often fosters lifelong connections, but for a study group from the Class of 2022, that bond has been translated into a legacy at their alma mater.

 Alumni Nasim Emamdjomeh, Greg Lu, Neil Segel, and Shannon Wright recently pooled their resources—specifically, their early-career bonuses—to establish the Nasim Emamdjomeh, Greg Lu, Neil Segel, and Shannon Wright Endowed Scholarship. It is awarded to a UHLC student based on merit and need.

The four have since built careers across the legal industry: Wright is an associate in commercial litigation at Jackson Walker LLP; Segel leads energy strategy and client development at Baker Botts; Lu practices corporate structuring and tax at Loren Cook Legal Group, PLLC; and Emamdjomeh focuses on retirement services, including ERISA and tax, at Corebridge Financial, Inc.

Emamdjomeh, Lu, Segel and Wright recently discussed their motivation for creating the endowment, the criteria for the scholarship, and their favorite memories from their time at the Law Center. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

What inspired the four of you to establish this scholarship at the UH Law Center?

Wright: I was the beneficiary of scholarships as a student, and I knew when I graduated that I wanted to be able to pay that forward to others. So, when “bonus season” came around after my first year, I asked Nasim, Neil, and Greg if they’d go in with me on endowing a scholarship to help future students the way past alums helped me.

Emamdjomeh: Shannon pitched the idea to us, and I thought it was a wonderful idea. I greatly benefited from scholarships throughout law school, so this was a natural way to give back and help others who would be in my shoes. Establishing an endowed scholarship was not something I thought that I would ever be able to do, but being able to come together as friends really made this a reality.

Study groups often form tight bonds, but creating an endowment together is a unique step. What does it mean for your specific group to leave this shared legacy at your alma mater?

Wright: Our bond is truly special, and it was forged not only in three years of law school but a global pandemic happening at the same time! I’m so lucky to have these folks as friends. I wouldn’t have had nearly as much fun in law school without them.  I’m delighted that our friendship is now connected with this scholarship and with generations of future students.

Emamdjomeh: For me, it really comes down to creating an everlasting impact with people who have made an everlasting impact on my life.

Segel: It’s a way of showing what even early career grads can do for others. Often, early career grads shy away from giving as they try to build themselves up financially and expect that giving should come from older professionals. But that should not necessarily be the case. We’re all in this together and we need to lead by example.

Lu: It’s about keeping our study group alive, even after law school. We still talk regularly and hang out with our monthly hot pot. Having all four of our names on the endowment means a lot to me because it represents us as a group, and hopefully the recipients find their own groups to continue our little tradition and legacy and maybe inspire them to start their own endowments.

Looking back at your time at UHLC, what are some of your favorite memories?

Wright: This is like trying to pick a favorite child—there are so many favorite memories! Studying with Nasim, Neil, and Greg for our first semester 1L exams is up there. We had no idea what we were preparing for, but we were doing it together, and that made it less hard. During the pandemic, we scheduled Zoom calls to keep up our group, and then as things opened back up, we started having monthly hot pot together, a tradition we try to keep up now. I also loved serving as Managing Editor of the Houston Law Review with Editor in Chief Charisma Nguepdo and Chief Articles Editor Kirsten Williams. There is nothing like being on a great team, a common theme from both the study group and the Houston Law Review.

Segel: I really enjoyed how much freedom I had to carve my own path at UHLC as a 2L & 3L. Being able to curate my own degree meant taking many classes in the law school and business school that fit my energy-related interests. Becoming friendly with those professors opened up doors into the professional world helped me land a job after UHLC while bar prepping at McKinsey and then later at Baker Botts, where I see several UHLC colleagues daily. I also really loved our study group sessions, as they gave me a sense of comfort knowing I wasn’t in this alone, and that we could count on each other to be best prepared. I also loved sharing in each other’s successes—seeing Shannon up on stage as valedictorian at graduation felt like a win for us all. That was something special.

Lu: I think inside the classroom, just seeing where we all started and how far we’ve come is my favorite. I’d like to think that we all did very well for ourselves and the support that we all gave each other helped us all emerge as successful students and attorneys. Outside the classroom, it was the bonding time during 1L finals prep, and our happy hours during COVID really helped keep a strong bond within the group. When we came back, I introduced hot pot to the group which we still do today, and we even had our tradition of jokingly getting Panda Express once a month on campus.

Emamdjomeh: Our hot pot nights are without a doubt my favorite memories. It was more than just us hanging out. We were connecting with each other’s families as well. I also remember the little moments when we would just be chatting before class or hanging out outside the Law Review office. Graduation was also an amazing memory because the results of all our hard work truly materialized and we were able to celebrate together with our families.

For more information about UH Law’s scholarships, please visit: Scholarships - University of Houston Law Center Giving

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