Donor Spotlight Vikram and Priya Lakireddy
“Education is the only way for upward mobility for anyone.” — Priya Lakireddy
A Heartfelt
Legacy of Giving
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ou’d be hard-pressed to find a UC Merced student who hasn’t taken a class or attended an event at The Dr. Lakireddy Auditorium in the Classroom and Office Building. The auditorium opened in January 2006 and has been home to UC Merced’s first graduation as well as many other events. It remains the campus’s largest lecture room. The large, heavy doors, theater-style seats and red stage curtain represent more than a space to teach and entertain; they exemplify a family’s legacy of giving. Growing up in the small village of Velvadam, India, Dr. Hanimireddy Lakireddy didn’t have modern conveniences like electricity or a telephone. He often walked to school barefoot. Yet from a young age, he was sure of two things: One day he would become a cardiologist, and he would help others. When British rule ended in 1947, the new Indian prime minister fought to make a better life for the country’s citizens. Part of his plan included building 1 million high schools, which helped further solidify Lakireddy’s vision for the future. After graduation, he went on to college, and then earned his medical degree and returned to his village to practice medicine. “My observation has been that education is the easiest way for a better future,” he said. “I believe because of education, I got out of that little village and got somewhere. “My mission is to help as many people as possible.” With that goal in mind, 37 years ago, Lakireddy, his wife, Vijaya, and their two sons moved to the United States. He trained in internal medicine in New York and cardiology in Connecticut. In July 1984, the Lakireddys moved to Merced to be closer to family members, and Lakireddy became the first board-certified cardiologist in Merced County. Following through with their passion to help others, the couple created a scholarship for Merced High School graduates in the name of Lakireddy’s parents. They have also generously donated to Merced College. The Lakireddys formed their relationship with UC Merced before ground had even been broken. In 2002, after reading about plans for the campus in the newspaper, Lakireddy said he got excited and went straight to founding Chancellor Carol Tomlinson-Keasey. “I went to the chancellor and offered, ‘I want to be part of the university. I am writing you a check right now,’” he said. “That was the beginning of the story.”
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UC MERCED MAGAZINE | FALL 2015
BY BRENDA ORTIZ
University Communications
Passing Along the Priorities The family’s initial $1 million gift was designated to enhance the auditorium that now bears his name. It was initially designed as a space for lectures, but the donation allowed for a larger stage, stateof-the-art audio-visual system and backstage rooms. On Sept. 4, 2005, the Lakireddys opened their home to more than 400 guests, including dignitaries and the other UC chancellors who came to celebrate the campus’s official opening the following day. They again hosted a dinner celebration in 2007. Lakireddy stays connected to the university in many ways, and often brings his grandchildren to events held in the auditorium, like the symphony and lectures. He said he is honored to know the family is part of UC Merced. “It’s a wonderful feeling, and it makes my heart feel good,” he said. The Lakireddys support other areas on campus, from health sciences fellowships to student clubs. But the family’s generosity goes well beyond the campus and Merced. They give extensively to help the small town in India where their journey started by providing food, clothing and educational opportunities to those in need. The town has grown to about 10,000 population, but the dire living conditions still remain. The desire to help others has been embraced by the next generation. The couple’s oldest son, Dr. Vikram Lakireddy and his wife, Priya, met in Merced while she was visiting family after her college graduation and he was home for the weekend from his cardiology residency on the East Coast. “I told her the first day that we met that I am going to be coming back here to practice,” Vikram Lakireddy said. In 2009, after the two were married, he did just that and joined his father’s thriving cardiology practice. In addition to helping community members through his medical expertise, he said it was natural for him and Priya to perpetuate the family’s legacy of philanthropy.
To hear Dr. Hanimireddy Lakireddy talk about why his philanthropy comes from his soul, visit bit.ly/doctordonor.