University of Houston Law Center scholarship recipients with UH Law Dean Leonard M Baynes at the luncheon. L to R: Kaneez Sayal, 3L; Dean Baynes; Alumna Shannon Wright (J.D. ’22) and Katherine Brooks, 3L.
Oct. 28, 2025— The University of Houston Law Center recently held its annual “Fuel the Future” Scholarship Luncheon, bringing together students, benefactors, faculty, and alumni to recognize the life-changing impact of scholarships and those who make them possible. The event offered heartfelt moments of gratitude and inspiration.
UH Law Dean Leonard M. Baynes captured the spirit of the day, emphasizing how the luncheon reflects UHLC’s core mission of access and opportunity. “This is a school where dreams come true,” he said. “We give students the power to control their lives and move their destiny to places they may have never imagined. The students speaking today are examples of how this school can make dreams a reality.”
Katherine Brooks (B.A. ‘06), 3L, recipient of the Nancy Snyder-Nepo Scholarship, the Jennifer H. Chung Scholarship, the Law Dean Scholarship, and the Sam Williamson Fellowship in Immigration Law, shared her story of resilience and renewal. A single mother and former schoolteacher, Brooks decided to pursue her dream of law school after the unexpected loss of her husband.
“I spent years telling my students that if they didn't like the things in the world, they should get the education they needed to change them,” she said. “So, I took my own advice. I picked up a cast-off dream and came to law school.”
Brooks is set to graduate in the spring and is passionate about immigration law. Her various scholarships have allowed her to balance being a full-time law student with raising her daughter.
“The Law Center is part of all of us,” Brooks said, thanking the donors. “It has carried me from a broken, newly widowed teacher to a confident lawyer. It has shaped us all in hundreds of ways. Thank you for believing in us and this institution.”
For Kaneez Sayal, another 3L, the path to law school was half a world away. As an immigrant from Pakistan, Sayal’s story is made possible not only by her hard work and dedication, but also by support from the Mo and Erin Aziz Full Tuition Scholarship and the Frank G. Evans Scholarship. She described the challenges of pursuing higher education in a new country while staying true to her ambitions.
After receiving the Mo and Erin Aziz Full Tuition Scholarship, she had the opportunity to visit donor Mo Aziz (J.D.’04) at his firm, Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner, alongside Dean Baynes. A UHLC alumnus and partner at the firm, Aziz has established four full-tuition scholarships at his alma mater to support students like Sayal. She recalled being starstruck meeting him, saying, “There will only ever be one Mo Aziz.”
“[He] reminds us that success doesn't just mean standing alone at the top, it means bringing others along with you,” she said. “And today, I stand here because someone like him believed in someone like me.”
The final speaker, Shannon Wright (J.D. ’22), reflected on her journey from scholarship recipient to donor. Wright, who graduated first in her class and received the Dean’s Merit Scholarship and the Nancy Snyder-Nepo Scholarship, shared how that support allowed her to fully focus on her studies and professional growth.
“For me, my scholarship was freedom,” she said. “I could go to school full-time, focus on my studies, take care of my family, and do the things that I needed to do in my life to be the best version of myself.”
Wright had already established a home in Harris County when she decided she wanted to go to law school. Like Brooks, she was also a single mother who wondered if law school was even an option.
Now, an accomplished attorney at Jackson Walker LLP, Wright has established her own fund to help students who are in a similar position.
“Without knowing me, someone said, ‘I believe in you,’ which enabled me to believe in myself,” she said. “It is the greatest gift to be able to pay that forward to current students and future students for many years to come.”
At the close of the event, Dean Baynes thanked all of the donors and alumni in attendance.
“We want students to be successful, no matter what their background or circumstances may be,” he said. “Whether they are a widow, a single parent, or someone who is a recent immigrant. So, I really want to thank you all for your continued belief in our students, because we would not be a law school without them.”
View a photo gallery of the Fuel the Future Scholarship Luncheon
