Holly Scofield (BS ’79, MBA ’88, MSSW ’98) has a connection to The University of Texas at Austin School of Social Work that runs both professional and personal. A program graduate and licensed clinical social worker, she describes her time at the School as a rich and life-changing experience — one that shaped her career and her ongoing commitment to supporting others.
That commitment has taken concrete form. In late 2017, Scofield and her husband, John (BBA ’78), established the Andrew Pickett Mobley Memorial Endowed Presidential Fellowship in Social Work in memory of her son and John’s stepson, Andrew — with their gift matched by UT Social Work supporter, the late Steve Hicks. The fellowship was awarded for the first time in fall 2018, when two students each received $3,500.
Andrew died at the age of nineteen. He is remembered for his intelligence, humor and deep compassion for others. He consistently sought out ways to help those in need, particularly Austin’s unhoused community.
“When someone dies young, you look for ways to make the difference they would have wished to make,” Scofield said.
Creating an endowment in Andrew’s name became that way forward — a way to carry his compassion forward by supporting students in the master’s program who are preparing to serve others in their own communities.
Endowments provide support in perpetuity, and donors can add to them at any time to deepen their impact. In 2023, Holly and John did exactly that, making a significant addition that increased both the number of students supported and the size of each award. In the 2025-26 academic year, the fellowship supported three MSSW students with awards of $8,000 each. Since its founding, it has supported twenty students. In an additional show of commitment, the Scofields have included a gift to the fellowship in their estate plans.
“When you support future social workers, you aren’t just helping dedicated students fulfill their dreams — you are also paying it forward to all the people they will help during their careers,” she said.
That ripple effect is already visible. One fellowship recipient wrote that the Scofields’ generosity deepened her own commitment to serving others as a social worker.
“It makes me happy and proud that Andrew is being remembered for the compassionate young man he was,” she said.
Scofield has watched that impact grow through her work on the UT Social Work Advisory Council, appointed by the President of The University of Texas at Austin. Her long view of the School’s trajectory, combined with her own experience across three degrees earned at different chapters of her life, reinforced her belief that this was the right place to invest — and to keep investing.
“I am so fortunate to be a graduate of The University of Texas School of Social Work,” she said. “Becoming a social worker is my proudest accomplishment.”