Alumni Couple Aims to Help Graduate Student Caregivers

When Gul Afshan ’99 came to UWM from Pakistan to pursue her doctorate in chemistry and biochemistry, she not only had to acclimate to American culture and a rigorous graduate program, but she was also raising her daughter, Tonia.

Gul was not unlike many UWM students who pursue a degree—or advanced degree—after they have started a family. These students face unique demands on their time and resources.

Fortunately, Gul received the Myrtle Bahm Leonard Memorial Award, a scholarship that helped defray her childcare costs while at UWM.

“That award directly paid my day care costs, and that made a world of difference to me,” she recalls. “Tonia was presented as the poster child of the UWM day care in a conference during Governor Doyle’s time, and she is now a physician.”

Gul went on to have a successful career on the faculty of Milwaukee School of Engineering, where she founded the first pure undergraduate biomolecular engineering degree program in the country.

It was there that she met her husband and fellow faculty member, Anders Schenstrom ’82, ’87. Originally from Sweden, Anders was also an international student at UWM, where he earned both his master’s and doctoral degrees in physics. He also received fellowship support while studying at UWM.

Both Gul and Anders are now faculty emeriti at the Milwaukee School of Engineering. Recently, as the couple were determining their estate plans, they decided to designate the UWM Foundation as a beneficiary of their retirement accounts.

Their gift will be used to create the Dr. Gul Afshan and Dr. Anders Schenstrom Fellowship, to help graduate students who study the natural sciences and are also caregivers. In addition to their estate gift, the couple has begun contributing to the Afshan & Schenstrom Fellowship, so they can see the benefits of their generosity during their lifetime.

“We both share a love for UWM, which helped shape our professional and personal lives,” Gul says. “We made this gift to break down barriers to graduation for promising students who face financial burdens of caregiving. We know firsthand what a difference a scholarship or fellowship can make, and we want to make that difference for others.”

Want to create a lasting legacy like Dr. Afshan and Dr. Schenstrom did? Contact Gretchen Miller or Mary Frieseke to discuss the best option for you.