"On behalf of the eight generations of my family who have been in this country, we're going to put a little fuel in your bus," he told the newly minted graduates in Atlanta before saying his family was creating a grant to eliminate their student loans."Now, I know my class will make sure they pay this forward," he continued.
"We're looking at each other like, 'Is he being serious?' That's a lot of money," salutatorian Robert James, 21, said. Epps said he has about $35,000 in student loan debt that his parents in Pleasanton, California, had pledged to help him pay off. He couldn't wait to break the news to them, he said. "All her serving, all her giving was not in vain," Dormeus said when asked what Smith's gift meant to his family.The students' benefactor also received an honorary degree Sunday, along with actor Angela Bassett and psychologist Edmund Gordon.
Vista Equity invests solely in software, data, and technology companies and boasts capital commitments of $46 billion, the company's website says.