Parents of Savitha Shan, Austin 6th Street shooting victim, speak on her life
6th St. shooting: Savitha Shan's parents speak on her life
UT Austin student Savitha Shan was killed in a downtown Austin mass shooting in March. Now, her parents are speaking out and honoring her in a personal way.
AUSTIN, Texas - A UT Austin student killed in a mass shooting just months before graduation will still receive her degrees.
Her parents are honoring her memory in a personal way.
Savitha Shan
What they're saying:
In the quiet of the morning, a father and his daughter sat down together over coffee, every week, just the two of them.
"We talked about all the things, what happened last week, what will she do next week? It's a relaxed conversation and I share my views, and she shared her views," Savitha Shan’s father, Dr. Shan, said.
Dr. Shan said those conversations meant everything to him. She learned from those moments and so did he.
"She picked up a lot of things from me during that coffee time," Dr. Shan said.
His daughter, 21-year-old Savitha Shan, was a senior at UT Austin, studying management information systems and economics. She was just months away from graduating with a job already lived up at VISA.
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On March 1, 2026, a gunman shot at Buford’s beer garden in downtown Austin, killing three people, including Savitha, leaving her parents without their only child.
"She was my life," Savitha Shan’s mother, Selvi Shan, said.
Her parents said she was driven, compassionate, and cared about education.
"Savitha was deeply passionate about education. She strongly believed that education is one of the powerful tools to transform lives," Dr. Shan said.
It is a passion her parents now carry forward. They have created the Savitha Shan endowed scholarship.
"As Savitha’s parents, we asked ourselves, how can Savitha's passion and vision continue beyond her lifetime? To answer that question, we partnered with UT Austin to establish the Savitha Shan Endowed Scholarship at UT Austin," Dr. Shan said.
They are raising $500,000. The University of Texas at Austin is matching it, to help future Longhorns chase the same dreams Savitha once talked about during those coffee conversations.
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"So, right now, we are establishing, she would be watching us, she would feel very happy. It means a lot to Savitha," Dr. Shan said.
Her parents also received Savitha’s degrees this week.
"She always made a promise that she would graduate with flying colors and that is what really happening, so I'm really, really proud of her," Selvi Shan said.
Back at home, the coffee ritual hasn’t stopped, it has just changed.
"The first morning coffee he offers it to her. That is like he puts the cup of coffee before her and then later he drinks," Selvi Shan said.
Savitha’s father said it is a time to reminisce.
"Yeah, I really miss that, but now I just dream that, and I visualize it and I have the feeling always now Savitha is with me all the time," Dr. Shan said.
The Source: Information from interviews conducted by FOX 7 Austin's Meredith Aldis