Speaker Pays Off Students' Student Loans in Heartwarming Commencement Address

Graduates at North Carolina State University’s Wilson College of Textiles received an unexpected gift during commencement Friday, when speaker Anil Kochhar announced that he and his wife, Marilyn, would pay off the final-year education loans of the college’s graduating students.

Kochhar made the announcement during the college’s commencement ceremony in Raleigh, saying the gift was being made in honor of his late father, Prakash Chand Kochhar, an NC State alumnus who came to the university from Punjab, India, in 1946 to study textile manufacturing.

“It is my privilege to announce today that, in honor of my father Prakash Chand Kochhar, Marilyn and I are providing a graduation gift to cover all the final-year education loans incurred by Wilson College graduates during the 2025-26 academic year,” Kochhar said.

The announcement drew cheers and a standing ovation from the crowd as students realized that their senior-year loans would be erased.

The graduating class included 176 students receiving bachelor’s degrees and 26 receiving master’s degrees, according to Axios Raleigh.

Kochhar said he and his wife hoped the gift would allow graduates to begin their next stage with more flexibility.

“Marilyn and I hope that all of you leave Reynolds Coliseum today not only with a degree but with greater freedom to pursue your goals, take risks and build the lives you’ve worked so hard to achieve,” he said.

For some students, the impact was immediate. Alyssa D’Costa, a fashion and textile management major, told the university that the gift would help both her and her family.

“As a daughter of immigrants, this money helps me and my family a lot, and I’m really fortunate to have an opportunity like this,” she said.

Prakash Chand Kochhar arrived at NC State on a scholarship and is believed to have been only the second Indian student to enroll at the university. He earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from what was then the School of Textiles and later built an international career before his death in 1985.

“My father could not have imagined this moment. Not just me standing here, but all of you sitting here,” Kochhar said.

The Kochhar family has made several major donations to Wilson College in recent years, including support for scholarships, faculty and graduate programs.

University officials said the Kochhars worked with the school and the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid to arrange the loan payments before the ceremony.

Wilson College Dean David Hinks called the gift an “extraordinary investment” in the school’s newest graduates and said it would help advance the college’s goal of making its programs affordable.