Why I Give
Lucas Randrianarivelo BS ’22
Your support allows RIT to provide life-changing learning opportunities for students who will transform the world around them.
It wasn’t long ago that Lucas Randrianarivelo BS ’22 served as RIT Student Government President. He recalls the time he addressed the incoming class of Tigers during Orientation Week, reminding him of his freshman experience and the excitement he felt about starting college.
“My favorite thing about RIT, still, is the culture,” Lucas shares. “Campus is home to more than 19,000 students, but you always feel like you know everyone. You can’t walk down the Quarter Mile without running into a peer, professor, or even President Munson!”
Lucas’ enthusiasm is responsible for the many ways he was and continues to be involved with the university. As a student, he joined the Theta Chi fraternity, played varsity soccer, became a resident advisor, and served on the ALANA (African, Latin, Asian, and Native American) Collegiate Association. It was in his fifth year as a mechanical engineering student that he was voted in as the student body president, during which time he focused on helping develop personal wellness, professional development, and social experience opportunities for fellow students.
Connection to others plays a foremost role in all aspects of Lucas’ life, especially when it comes to his alma mater. The young alumnus lives in his native Baltimore, Md. and works in investment banking, but RIT is never far from his mind. He recently joined the Sentinel Society as a way to pay forward the generosity he experienced as a student.
Lucas explains, “I support scholarship and financial Aid funding because I placed a large weight on affordability when deciding where to attend college. When I got my acceptance letter and scholarship package, I saw it as an investment RIT donors were making in me. Similarly, I hope my contribution can close the gap for an incoming Tiger who has their eyes set on RIT.”
In addition to supporting scholarship and financial Aid, Lucas is proud of the diversity across RIT and its global relevance as a growing, premier technology university. He feels that support in any capacity is critical to RIT’s expansion and success.
“I know that the academic rigor at RIT prepares students extremely well for the workforce and allows you to make career leaps into other fields. The university attracts students who are diverse demographically and in thought, and no matter who comes here, they are bound to find their people on campus.”