A group of North Carolina college graduates was left stunned when their commencement speaker announced he would pay off their senior year student loans. Anil Kochhar took the stage on Friday during the Wilson College of Textiles at North Carolina State University’s commencement ceremony, where more than 170 students earned their bachelor’s degrees and 26 received their master’s degrees, according to Axios Raleigh.
A Tribute to His Father
Kochhar’s father, Prakash Chand Kochhar, earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the college in the 1950s. In honor of his father, Kochhar and his wife Marilyn announced a graduation gift covering all final-year education loans incurred by Wilson College graduates during the 2025–26 academic year. “Marilyn and I hope that all of you leave Reynolds Coliseum today not only with a degree but with greater freedom to pursue your goals, take risks and build the lives you’ve worked so hard to achieve,” Kochhar said.
Emotional Reactions
Students appeared stunned by the generosity, clapping and jumping up and down in a video captured of the moment and shared on Instagram. David Hinks, the inaugural Prakash Chand Kochhar Dean at Wilson College of Textiles, expressed gratitude in a statement: “I could not be more grateful to Anil and Marilyn for this extraordinary investment in our newest Wilson for Life alumni. As the preeminent institution for textiles education, research and innovation, we are deeply committed to ensuring the Wilson College enables students from all walks of life to transform their own lives while graduating with zero or low debt.”
In the Instagram comments, many praised Kochhar for his kind gift. One user wrote, “Instant tears!! As a parent of a kid in Wilson, to see them looking for their parents, it tore me up.” A graduate added, “Absolutely incredible. We are so blessed by this donation and its impact!!!” Another commented, “I can only imagine they were clapping but were in shock and not fully processing the generosity. That’s a huge gift!”
Previous Donations
Two months before the commencement, the school announced that Kochhar and his wife were gifting three funds in honor of his father, who earned his bachelor’s degree in textile manufacturing. The offerings, all named after Kochhar’s dad, included the Dean’s Chair Endowment, the Endowed Faculty Fund, and the Graduate Support Endowment.
