A Rajiv the Rhino Inspiration

Creating a holistic network to impact student growth and achievement

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Mission

One Student, One School, One Community At a Time

Our Story

Avam-Astu Foundation (AAF) is a dedication to Rajiv Suresh.

Rajiv passed away at a young age of 26 but only after pursuing and achieving more than a lifetime’s worth of goals. In his short yet meaningful life Rajiv had created a network of family, friends, mentors, mentees, … spanning all over this world. His drive to achieve goals was not for tomorrow but for today and now. He may have slept less but he dreamt big. In his twenty-six years Rajiv, accomplished anything that he aspired, left an impact on everyone he met, lived and loved life to its full. The impetus for these accomplishments and high-energy was the discipline, time-management, team spirit and leadership qualities that were imbued by marching band, mentors and a network of friends and family. AAF aims to draw inspiration from Rajiv’s life to assist high-school students become college and life-ready to pursue their passions.

Avam Astu in Sanskrit is Amen or Amin and means SO BE IT.

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Programs

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RhinoNet The Mentor-Mentee Network

RhinoNet is a platform connecting mentors from all walks of life, (professional, executives, entrepreneurs, entertainers, teachers, professors, etc.) to mentees (high school students)

  • Earn volunteering hours by
    • Providing tutoring assistance
    • Leading discussions on books and subjects/ topics
  • RhinoNet is a knowledge sharing forum
  • Registration and participation in RhinoNet is free of charge
Learn more

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Rajiv Suresh Memorial (RSM) Scholarship

It takes $1,500/year to support one student. RSM Scholarship supports holistic growth and achievement in high school students.

Learn more
RSM Scholarship
Application

(AY 2021-2022 DEADLINE IS JAN. 31, 2022
AY 2022-2023 DEADLINE IS JAN. 31, 2023)

Application accepted on a rolling basis.

Download Sample Application
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Avam Astu Foundation ® Governance

Board of Directors

Phil is a Managing Partner at GoAhead Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm that he founded with his partners in 2014. Previously, he was on the deal team at Andreesseen Horowitz. In 2017, Phil was named “Forbes 30 Under 30” in the Venture Capital category. Phil earned his BS in Management Science and Engineering from Stanford University. Phil is part of Rajiv’s core group from Stanford, where they were roommates and co-founded Copernican Solutions, a Stanford based management consultancy for tech startups.

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Jesse D. Espinosa is our Director of Bands at Klein Forest High School. He most recently served as the director of bands at S. P. Waltrip High School in Houston ISD, where he also served as the assistant band director. He credits much of his approach and knowledge to his former band director and colleague, Mr. Charlie Stephens. Mr. Espinosa or better known as, "Mr. E", has taught instrumental music at the high school level for 20 years. He received a Bachelor’s of Arts in Performance degree at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, TX. He then earned his Master’s degree in Educational Leadership in Administration from Lamar University in Beaumont, TX. Previous to beginning his career as a music educator, Mr. Espinosa served in the United States Army Band at Ft. Knox, KY as a trumpet player. He also attended the United States Armed Forces School of Music in Little Creek, VA, where he was the honor graduate. Mr. Espinosa was honorably discharged with the Army Commendation Medal in 2002.

He is married to his high school band sweetheart, Celena Espinosa, for 22 years. They have two children, Jesse Adam (16) and Isabel (14), who are both involved in the performing arts. Jesse Espinosa was most recently recognized as a Grammy Music Educator of the Year Quarterfinalist in 2021, along with being named Teacher of the Year at his former campus in 2020. His marching bands have been consistent UIL Sweepstakes winners, along with advancing to the UIL Area Contest for many years. The concert groups under his direction have also been awarded the UIL Sweepstakes Award for their stage and sight-reading performances. Mr. Espinosa also brings a wealth of experience and expertise in jazz education. His jazz bands have been award-winning ensembles at many local, regional, state and national jazz festivals, which includes many individual all-star awards for his students.

Mr. E is an active member of TMEA, TBA, NAfME, JEN and is currently the new President-Elect of the Texas Jazz Educators Association (TJEA). He is also a big supporter of our local sports teams along with being an active member of his church and community.

Mary Beth Goodrich
CPA, CIA, CISA, SAP Certified Associate
Professor of Instruction, Accounting, The University of Texas at Dallas
goodrich@utdallas.edu, 972-883-4775 (work),
214-282-2156 (cell)

Mary Beth Goodrich has been a part of the accounting faculty at The University of Texas at Dallas for over 20 years. She has been teaching enterprise systems in her courses, primarily using SAP to demonstrate concepts, since 2003 and loves to incorporate new technologies impacting accountants, such as robotic process automation and data visualization. In 2017, her book, Business Process Configuration with SAP ERP was published.

She is the lead professor responsible for the ProConnect / ProConnect REACH initiative which provides accounting project pro-bono consulting work completed by M.S. Accounting teams to area non-profits and small to mid-sized businesses. ProConnect REACH allows undergraduate students the ability to work with not-for-profit organizations and give back to the community. Details can be seen at this link.

In 2021, Mary Beth was awarded the UiPath Global Visionary of the Year (world-wide honor), TXCPA Accounting Educator of the Year (a state-wide honor) and The University of Texas at Dallas’ President’s Teaching Excellence Award (a university-wide honor). During the Covid19 pandemic, she was designated as the lead faculty member of the Faculty Peer Mentors. This was a group of 16 faculty across the 8 schools of the university to help all professors transition to remote and hybrid teaching models. Her experience teaching on-line courses since 2004 allowed her to work on this endeavor and conduct over 36 sessions for faculty to learn, collaborate and apply various tools and techniques for teaching. She is currently the Chair of the Educational Technology Committee of the university and has been a Faculty Senator since 2020. She recently accepted a promotion to become the Academic Director of Distance Learning, in addition to her teaching responsibilities.

Mary Beth received an MBA with a concentration in Internal Audit from Louisiana State University and B.S. Degree in Accounting from McNeese State University. Mary Beth’s experience includes over 8 years’ experience working in internal audit, information systems audit, and various accounting positions in a variety of industries. She has worked for Electronic Data Systems (now part of HP) and The Associates (now part of Citigroup). As a student, Mary Beth had three (3) internships: as an accounting intern in a CPA firm during tax season, as a staff cost accountant, and as an internal auditor.

She is excited about the opportunity to work actively with Avam-Astu Foundation in initiatives to mentor and develop young talent.

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Sanchay is an MD/MBA candidate at Harvard Medical School and is (as of 2019-2020) in his third year at Harvard Medical School. In recent years, Sanchay has founded a company that develops mechanical ventilators to successfully address 90% patient cases at only 5% cost of a traditional ventilator. This ventilator has proven to be of immense value, specifically in rural, underdeveloped and resource-limited settings. Prior to this he, worked as a consultant at Stanford Hospital. At Stanford Hospital, Sanchay built an online platform helping health facilities/drug manufacturers to donate, (instead of destroying) unused medicines, and developed a software to help health workers in Kenya and Nepal deliver basic health services to patients in areas lacking access to doctors. Sanchay earned his BS in Biochemistry from Stanford University. Sanchay is part of Rajiv’s core group from Stanford.

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Brooks is an educational consultant at COMPASS TO COLLEGE and a Social Studies teacher at Devon Preparatory School. Brooks' passion for providing students with college guidance and academic advising attracted him to AAF and its cause. Brooks earned his BA in English Literature from UPenn, MA in History from Georgetown University and PhD in Education Psychology from UC Riverside.

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Alex is currently (2020-2021) pursuing his residency at “Einstein College of Medicine” in New York City, subsequent to completing his MD at UC San Diego. Previously, Alex worked as a Business Analyst (in healthcare consulting) with ZS Associates. Alex earned his BA in Human Biology from Stanford University. Alex is part of Rajiv’s core group from Stanford, and was his roommate.

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Lucy is a Principal at Oliver Wyman healthcare practice, advising physician groups, providers, and employers on strategies to improve healthcare by increasing quality, lowering costs, and creating better patient experiences. Lucy is one of Rajiv’s mentors and friends at Oliver Wyman. Lucy earned her BA in Neurology from Harvard University.

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Abe is a friend of the founding family and he is currently the founding partner at Legacy Knight Multi-Family Office. Prior to Legacy Knight he was the Managing Director at Mark Cuban Companies where he oversaw the operations of roughly 80 start-up companies. Abe earned his MBA from SMU and Executive Education in Corporate Strategy from MIT.

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Joe was the Director of Bands and Rajiv’s teacher at McKinney Boyd High School. Joe is currently the Director of Bands at Klein Oak High School in the KleinIndependent School district. Joe previously taught at the Tomball, McKinney, Birdville, Cypress-Fairbanks, and Spring Independent School Districts. He is a member of the Texas Music Educators Association, Texas Bandmasters Association, and the National Bandmasters Association and is a past president of the Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Music Fraternity of America. Joe is a graduate of the University of Houston Moores School of Music where he performed in the UH Wind Ensemble under the direction of Eddie Green. Joe inspired the founding family to pursue the idea of honoring Rajiv through what has now evolved as AAF Rajiv and Joe shared a special bond that is best articulated by Joe’s Facebook post. Under Joe’s tutelage, Rajiv was a drum major and was selected to the Texas All State Band for three years in a row.

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Lindsey is an educational consultant at COMPASS TO COLLEGE. Lindsey earned her BA in English (minor in Spanish) from U Penn, and an MA in English Ed from Brown University. She was also voted MVP in varsity softball. Lindsey was attracted primarily to AAF and its cause because of her inherent passion for providing high school students with necessary skills to become college and career ready.

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Suresh is a Professor in Naveen Jindal School of Management at UT Dallas. Prior to this he served on the faculty of NYU, CMU and Rutgers University. He has been a visiting research scholar at various universities in Australia, Brazil, China, Hong Kong, India and Singapore. Suresh was invited as a knowledge expert to the Microsoft CEO summit and the SAP Global Congress. He has served on advisory boards of early stage start-up and not-for-profit enterprises. Suresh earned his B.Com from Vivekananda College, University of Madras, MS in Statistics & OR and PhD from NYU. Suresh is Rajiv’s father.

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Don is the founder and Chairman of The Colton Group, Inc., a strategic advisory firm for emerging business, global companies, and social enterprises. Don has served on the boards of international and domestic technology and service companies (both public and private), as well as on non-profit boards. While living in Europe, Don also served on the board of directors of companies in UK, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, and Sweden. He currently serves as an advisory board member of the Institute for Excellence in Corporate Governance at The University of Texas at Dallas, where he is one of the thought-leaders spearheading the Governance Capital Assessment model initiative. He is a regular guest lecturer at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, the University of Texas at Dallas’ Jindal School of Management, and SMU’s Cox School of Business Caruth Institute for Entrepreneurship. Don earned his BA in Philosophy Honors from UNT. Don is a friend of the founding family.

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Uma is a Career & Technology Education teacher at Curtis Middle School, Allen Independent School District. Prior to her stint as a teacher Uma, chose to be full time mom to her two boys and best friends, Rajiv and Rajat. She was the founder of Sree Exports, a fashion export house in India. She has served as a volunteer and in advisory capacity for many not-for-profit enterprises. Uma earned her B.Com from Jesus and Mary College, University of Delhi, MS in Management at Troy University and MA in Teaching from TWU. Uma is Rajiv’s mother and Rajiv was her best friend.

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Rajat is a freelance political satire/comedy writer. He is currently a writer and performer for “Tooning Out the News”, a Stephen Colbert production with CBS All Access. Rajat was a writing fellow at Clickhole and a contributor to The Onion/Clickhole. Prior to this he was the Editor-in-chief of NYU’s student run, The Plague magazine, a talent intern at Saturday Night Live and Comedy Central. Rajat earned his BS in Marketing (minor in Computer Science) from NYU. Rajat is Rajiv’s younger brother.

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Travis Treadwell serves as the Director of Bands at McKinney Boyd High School. His teaching responsibilities include leading the Honors band, co-teaching the marching, symphonic 1 & 2 and concert bands, along with co-leading the Jazz band and assisting the feeder middle school band programs.
Mr. Treadwell is a native of Lubbock, Texas, where he attended Friendship High School and was a three-time All-State tenor trombonist.
Mr. Treadwell earned his degree in Music Education at Texas Tech University, where he studied trombone under Mr. James Decker, was a member of the Goin’ Band from Raiderland, and was a member of the Symphonic Wind Ensemble under the direction of Dr. Sarah McKoin. Mr. Treadwell is also a past president of the Kappa Kappa Psi Alpha Omicron Chapter.
Mr. Treadwell’s is in his 6th year teaching at Boyd HS (3 as Head, 3 as Associate) has taught for 12 years in total. He has also taught in Frisco and Fort Worth ISD's.
Mr. Treadwell’s hobbies include all things outdoors including fishing and camping. He mostly enjoys spending quality time with his wife Elizabeth, son Tyler and their dog Harli. Mr. Treadwell’s wife Elizabeth is a band director at Cobb Middle School in Frisco ISD.

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Henry is a Software Engineer at the Annapurna Labs division of Amazon Web Services. Prior to this he was with Intel and Barefoot Networks. Henry earned his BS in Computer Science and MS in Network Security at Stanford. Henry is part of Rajiv’s core group from Stanford, as well as a post-Stanford roommate.

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Annual Reports


Performance Indicators

Mentors
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Actual 2021:
29
Target 2022:
70
Scholarship Students
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Actual 2021:
10
Target 2022:
12
Non-Scholarship Students
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Target 2022:
25
Donations
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Actual 2021:
$50,000
Target 2022:
$55,000

Avam Astu Foundation® Rhino Wall

$2,500+

Justin J. Fuller & Heidi Fuller
Dr. Bin Srinidhi & Sri Devi
Dr. Ashiq & Zehra Ali
Rani & BG Kumar
Jason van der Merwe

$1,000+

Ram Natarajan & Mallika Ram
Swapnil Bora & Geeta Bafna
Ishwar & Soundarya Radhakrishnan
Henry Wang
Ram and Lakshmi Venkataraman

$250+

Akshai Bhaskaran
Tinda Deng
Lucy Liu
Minna Liu
Lauren Miller
Lea Zhang
Varghese Jacob
Aleyamma Jacob

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