Aggies travel near and far to receive their education at Texas A&M University. Vikram Torpunuri ’90 came from a small village in India to the United States, where he received a master’s degree in civil engineering from Texas A&M. His passion for promoting the value of higher education has led him and his family to establish a fellowship for out-of-state civil engineering students.
Torpunuri learned about Texas A&M from friends he met when he moved to the United States in search of higher-education opportunities. When he transferred to Texas A&M, he was impressed by what he encountered on campus.
“I was pleasantly surprised by the campus, academic focus and rich traditions at Texas A&M,” he said. “The friendly environment on campus, diversity among the student population and the academically focused small-town atmosphere was the perfect combination.”
After he received his civil engineering degree, Torpunuri shifted his academic focus and earned a second master’s degree in finance from the Mays Business School at Texas A&M. His professional career encompasses a range of leadership and founding positions with companies focused on providing business intelligence solutions. Currently, he is the founder and CEO of Hoap Health, a person-centric health care analytics company that leverages advanced artificial intelligence technologies to improve patient outcomes.
Outside work, Torpunuri volunteers as an advisor and mentor in the Paul Merage School of Business, University of California, Irvine. He values the education he received, which enabled him to find the success he has today. He is also an avid hiker and loves outdoor activities.
I came from a small village in India with very limited access to educational facilities. I am very passionate about education. I believe an educated person can leap across many barriers and uplift multiple generations.
Torpunuri and his family established the Torpunuri Family Civil Engineering Endowed Fellowship to support out-of-state students pursuing their master’s or doctoral degrees and focusing on addressing climate change. They hope to enable students to pursue higher education by removing a financial barrier preventing them from doing so.
“I had a great experience at Texas A&M with world-class professors,” Torpunuri said. “I hope our small gift will help a student in need finish their education.”
The Torpunuri family’s generous gift will continue to provide academic opportunities for Aggie graduate students in the Zachry Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering for generations to come.