Lisa Angell hopes to strengthen her father’s legacy through a planned estate gift that will bolster the already established Tom Angell Fellowship. Photo: Steve Zylius, UCI
Lisa Angell hopes to strengthen her father’s legacy through a planned estate gift that will bolster the already established Tom Angell Fellowship. Photo: Steve Zylius, UCI
How does one leave a positive impact? For former UCI counselor Tom Angell, it was simple.
“Mentorship was very important to my dad,” Lisa Angell says. “He believed that helping others was one of the biggest ways a person could give back.”
Tom Angell was a mentor and counselor at UCI for over 25 years. His daughter now hopes to strengthen his legacy through a planned estate gift that will bolster the already established Tom Angell Fellowship.
Created in 2013, the Tom Angell Fellowship honors graduate students, postdoctoral scholars and faculty members who have demonstrated an excellence in mentoring.
“We can’t thank Lisa enough for her gift,” adds Vice Provost of Graduate Education Gillian Hayes. “Her contribution will go a long way toward not only preserving her father’s legacy, but also keeping mentoring excellence as one of UCI’s top priorities for graduate education.”
“We can’t thank Lisa enough for her gift. Her contribution will go a long way toward not only preserving her father’s legacy, but also keeping mentoring excellence as one of UCI’s top priorities for graduate education.”
“I remember being at my dad’s memorial and many students came up to me telling me how much my dad meant to them,” recalls Lisa Angell. “Honestly, I was honored and touched. I thought ‘wow, that’s my dad. I didn’t know any of these students, but he touched them all.’ It was pretty incredible.”
Tom Angell started at UCI as a general counselor in the UCI health center, before transitioning to Graduate Division to serve as the first specific graduate counselor in the UC system. He specialized in helping graduate students balance the rigors of academia, while maintaining a healthy personal life.
“Tom was a beloved counselor who helped many graduate students overcome problems to successfully complete their degrees,” former Vice Provost of Graduate Education Frances Leslie adds. Leslie served as dean of Graduate Division when the fellowship was created. “When he passed away, his family and friends donated to a fellowship fund in his honor to acknowledge students, postdocs and faculty who are wonderful mentors like him.”
As another academic year begins, UCI is set to celebrate the seven-year anniversary of the Tom Angell Fellowship. With the help of his daughter, Tom Angell’s passion and commitment to UCI students will live on through this fellowship.
