Jay and Jyoti Chaudhry, prominent Indian-American entrepreneurs, have established the Chaudhry Family Scholarship Fund with a generous $4 million donation to the University of Cincinnati (UC). The fund will assist first-generation, Pell-eligible students in UC’s Gen-1 1MPACT House, a residential community that provides support and resources to these students.
Jay, CEO of Zscaler, a leader in cloud security, and his wife Jyoti co-founded several successful companies before Zscaler, including AirDefense and CipherTrust. Hailing from a small village in Himachal Pradesh, Jay is a first-generation student himself. He earned two Master’s degrees and an MBA from UC, as did Jyoti.
This scholarship will support approximately 150 students starting in fall 2025, covering financial gaps after Pell grants and other funding. UC President Neville G. Pinto praised the donation, noting the profound impact it will have on students’ lives.
The Gen-1 Program, established in 2008, is the first living-learning community dedicated to first-generation college students, providing them with a supportive environment to succeed academically and socially.
