Texas A&M University Mays Business School
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University Mays Business School

First Texas A&M Graduate Awarded Prestigious Knight-Hennessy Scholarship

Former Texas A&M student joins 86 other scholars in the 2026 cohort of Knight-Hennessy Scholars program, beginning this fall.

June 8, 2026 By Stephen Perez, Texas A&M University Office of the Provost

3 min. read

Cecilia Reis, a young woman with long dark hair, smiles warmly at the camera. She is wearing a black blazer over a white top and a delicate gold necklace. She stands outdoors in front of a modern building with warm wood-toned cladding and large glass windows, surrounded by green and autumn-colored foliage.
Cecília Reis ’22 joins 87 scholars in Stanford University’s Knight-Hennessy Scholars cohort, beginning this fall. Photo courtesy Knight-Hennessy Scholars.

A former Texas A&M University student, Cecília Reis ’22, has made Aggie history after being selected to an elite cohort of graduate scholars at Stanford University.

Reis is one of 87 students joining the 2026 cohort of Knight-Hennessy Scholars, a multidisciplinary leadership development program, which provides up to three years of financial support. While at Stanford this fall, she will pursue a master’s degree in business administration.

Reis graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business honors and management from Mays Business School with a certificate in international business and a minor in French from the College of Arts and Sciences. While in school, Reis participated with several on-campus organizations including the Business Fellows program, Mays’ Strategic Philanthropy, and Women in Entrepreneurship.

“It’s truly life changing and I am still in awe to be a Knight Scholar,” said Reis. “I’ve seen firsthand how transformational education is and I am honored to get the chance to build on the work and sacrifices my family has made before me in hopes of making the world a better place.”

Outside of the classroom, Reis was field assistant to the Instituto Monteverde for soil research and reforestation in Costa Rica. In 2022, Reis was awarded a Fulbright grant and spent time at São Paulo State University in Brazil teaching English and connecting students to international work and study opportunities.

An advocate within her community, Reis taught a graduate course at University of Texas at Austin focused on serving the unhoused. She also worked with an Austin-based nonprofit helping people eliminate over $300,000 medical debt in seven months.

Reis now works with a social impact consulting firm, collaborating with donors and other nonprofits to enact change across climate and economic mobility.

“The Knight-Hennessy Scholar program has been on my radar since I was doing work with Fulbright and I kept it in the back of my mind while I sharpened my career,” said Reis. “Over time I realized I was eager to learn more about what was happening at the intersection of social impact and business innovation and the program just complemented my goals.”

Reis said she is proud to be Texas A&M’s first Knight-Hennessy Scholar.

“It’s my hope that being the first Aggie to receive this honor opens the door to many others to pursue this opportunity,” she said. “Texas A&M was truly transformative and changed my life. I learned so much about what it meant to be a values-based leader and benefited from an incredible community that helped me dream big.”

The program was founded by Phil Knight, Stanford alumnus and Nike, Inc. co-founder, and John Hennessy, Stanford University’s 10th president, to prepare scholars for leadership roles across academia, industry, government, and nonprofits.

This article first appeared on the Office of the Provost’s INSIDE Texas A&M.