Alumni, parents and friends share their personal ethos of giving and why they feel led to pay it forward.

Becoming a philanthropist — whether through giving time or money — is a deliberate decision that often begins with reflection, thoughtful conversations and an intrinsic connection to the cause or organization.

“St. Stephen’s builds great human beings. We give because we believe in this important work,” says Meredith McDaniel ’92, P ’30, ’28. She and her husband, Patrick Chang P ’30, ’28, contributed to the future Science and Technology Center.

The gift Jane Ph.D. and Hani Talebi, Ph.D., P ’31, ’29, ’27, made to the future Science and Technology Center is their family’s way of giving St. Stephen’s a strong push into the future.

“The greatest gifts we can contribute today are the ones that result in positive outcomes for the students and families we will never have the opportunity to meet,” says Dr. Talebi. “This is about taking the gratitude we feel now and crafting something meaningful with it for the St. Stephen’s community of tomorrow. We hope this center — alongside the Student Support Center and other campus updates — lowers barriers to learning, widens access to advanced coursework and equips teachers with flexible spaces and tools that adapt to new ideas. If future Spartans feel more seen, more supported and more capable of shaping their world, then the impact will have been worth it.”

JP Bryan ’58 considers the Chapel to be a sacred space that holds a special place in his heart and is his reason for giving to support its expansion and renovation.

“I was motivated to make the gift to help restore the Chapel because of my love for the building and what it represents in my life. It’s the thing that defines St. Stephen’s,” says Bryan.

According to psychologists who study the science of generosity, giving often fulfills people’s sense of purpose in life.  

Marlone Henderson, Ph.D., professor of psychology at The University of Texas at Austin, says that many donors intentionally put great emphasis on whether a campaign or a cause is congruent with their values.

“When potential donors are thinking about giving to something that will materialize in the far-off future or giving to beneficiaries in geographically distant locations, they likely think more abstractly and care more about whether the cause aligns with their values,” says Henderson. “Usually when donors make big gifts, they are imagining their gifts lasting through the ages.”

“Lasting through the ages” is what Matt Miller ’02 and his wife, Kim Hicks ’02, had in mind when they decided to make a transformational gift to the future Science and Technology Center.

“When I think back to my time in physics and robotics and all those kinds of classes, it was primitive by comparison to what we’re doing for students today,” says Miller. “But then it’s in exactly the same facility that we were in 20 years ago and that I think people were probably in 20 years before that — that was when it clicked. We were just wanting to do something for the school, but also seeing the need of having the facilities that match the quality of the curriculum.”

“We’d honestly been looking for something that felt like a really good fit for us, where we felt like we were actually making an impact. And as we talked about different things, this was one of the initial things that really resonated,” says Hicks.

Miller and Hicks first met as students at St. Stephen’s. After moving back to Austin, the couple found themselves drawn to campus again as active volunteers. Through their gift, they hope to give future students the same experience of deep connection and a supportive community that, as Hicks notes, they both treasure and never take for granted.

Generosity has come full circle and is what prompted Trish Smith GP ’29, ’29, ’29 and her husband, Marty Sampson GP ’29, ’29, ’29, to make regular leadership gifts to the Annual Fund and a multiyear gift to the future Science and Technology Center. 

“Our original inspiration to give modestly to St. Stephen’s came in 2013, when we first moved to Austin,” says Smith. “We began contributing to the school because they graciously let me hike their campus.”

Several years later, Smith and Sampson’s triplet grandchildren, Alex ’29, Elizabeth ’29 and Robert Roth ’29, enrolled in St. Stephen’s Middle School.

“We fell more in love with the community as we learned about the special opportunities granted to their student body, especially since we were now on the mailing list for the Spartan [Magazine] publication! We are confident that our contributions will enable students globally to meet St. Stephen’s mission ‘to inspire a lasting love of learning and spirit of service so that each of our students lives a life of meaning and enriches the world,’” says Smith.

The act of giving matters today and forever, and the generosity of Lasting Impact donors will be felt for generations to come.

“We believe a well-rounded education requires contemporary tools and an environment that spurs engagement,” says Dr. Talebi. “Today’s learners thrive when spaces are purpose-built for inquiry, collaboration and creativity — where a student can move from a whiteboard sketch to prototyping to testing in a single afternoon. St. Stephen’s has the vision and culture to make those moments happen every day, and we wanted to help accelerate that. Our gift is simply a vote of confidence in the school’s ability to prepare students to think deeply, work ethically and build solutions that matter.”

“We know our gifts will be used wisely by the St. Stephen’s leadership, who provide such wonderful learning opportunities to their diverse student body and foster leaders during their St. Stephen’s education and beyond,” says Smith.

This story was originally published here in the Winter 2026 Spartan Magazine.

Learn more about Lasting Impact: The Campaign for St. Stephen's