Burnett School of Medicine Student Inspires as TCU’s Scholarship Dinner Keynote Speaker

FORT WORTH ­– Wiping tears from his face, Sam Sayed looked at his teenage daughter and made her a promise: “You will never…ever…need a dime for college.”

This bold statement encapsulated the spirit of generosity that Sayed’s keynote speech exuded during TCU’s 34^th Annual Scholarship Dinner, which recognizes and honors all endowed scholarship donors and their recipients.

Sayed, a fourth-year medical student at the Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine at Texas Christian University, had a chance to thank Corey and Tammy Hutchison, namesakes of his Corey and Tammy Hutchison Family Endowed Medical School Scholarship.

“Tonight, we commemorate not just the contributions made by people like Corey and Tammy Hutchison, but also the transformational power of education and opportunity,” Sayed said.

During his speech, Sayed, recounted his past hardships including losing his mother to an asthma attack when he was 3, then losing his 16-year-old sister to gun violence.  Dayna, who became a mother figure to him and his brother, Sharif, was the inspiration for the nonprofit the brothers created called Dayna’s Footprints.

“The Burnett School of Medicine has helped take this initiative from a small project serving one community to a nationally recognized organization serving 6 communities and raising more than $200,000 of purchased shoes,” he said.

Sayed was especially proud of being able to translate this mission into research to gauge the tangible effects to the community. Recently, his research on Dayna’s Footprints was featured on Good Morning America. “This is incredibly important to me as participating in this non-profit is a way for me to help reconciliate the traumas of my past,” he said.

Sayed, who graduates in May and will begin an Emergency Medicine residency at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, says it’s crucial for a physician to understand and care for their community “even before encountering them on their most challenging days.”

When he turned to his daughter, Sayed told the audience that “the most authentic expression of my gratitude to TCU, the Burnett School of Medicine and this community lies in acknowledging the ultimate key to my success – my daughter, Sophie.”

“The people at TCU and the faces behind the funds have helped me realize grandma’s dream and we should be forever grateful for them,” he said to Sophie.

While the Schollmaier Arena thundered with applause, Sophie ran up to the stage to give her father a hug.

Tears of gratitude filled the stadium.