The Remembering Austin Memorial Scholarship

Austin Chowdhury’s light shone brightly but was extinguished far too soon due to the battle faced by many in our community today, opioid addiction. Even during addiction, he was fully functioning and successfully continued his education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, earning an undergraduate degree in Public Policy and Urban Planning. To continue Austin’s intended legacy of leaving this world a better place, his parents Tammy and Nazrul seek to educate their community about the illness of addiction so other families may avoid the pain and sorrow their son’s untimely death has caused them. The purpose of this annual scholarship fund shall be to provide financial assistance for promising students from Gaston or Lincoln County through two scholarship opportunities. The first opportunity will award a scholarship to a promising student pursuing an Associate of Applied Science degree in Human Services Technology with a focus on Substance Abuse and has been personally impacted by a substance use disorder. A second opportunity will award a scholarship to a promising student pursuing an Associate of Applied Science in any field and has been personally impacted by substance use disorders. Applicants must demonstrate how substance use disorder has impacted them personally and how the scholarship will help them achieve their education and career goals. For the Human Services Technology scholarship, applicants must clearly demonstrate their intention of working in the field of substance abuse education or treatment upon graduation. Scholarships are renewable for a second year.