Better Together
The Basile family combines their giving to create new opportunities for women in STEM.
For sisters Aimee Basile ’95 and Bailey Basile ’10, Rice offered opportunities that would shape their lives long after graduation. Both left with a lasting appreciation for the possibilities a Rice education can open and a desire to create those possibilities for others.
Aimee arrived at Rice interested in sociology and found room to explore interests she had not anticipated. Through a work-study job, she discovered an aptitude for programming and problem-solving that eventually led her to earn a master’s degree in computer science and build a career in data science.
Fifteen years later, Bailey found her own path at Rice. Drawn to the university’s close-knit community and able to attend with the help of a scholarship, she studied mathematics and electrical engineering before beginning a career as a security software engineer at Apple.
Years later, as the sisters considered how they might give back to a place that had opened doors for both, a conversation with their parents, Barry and Brenda, expanded the idea into a family endeavor. “We always knew we wanted to do something as a family to give back,” Aimee says.
Sisters Bailey ’10 and Aimee ’95 Basile in 1992
By pooling their resources, the four realized they could make a more significant commitment than Aimee and Bailey had initially envisioned. Using a combination of retirement assets and appreciated stock, they established the Basile Family Endowed Scholarship, creating a permanent source of financial assistance for Rice students.
“I knew Bailey and I could contribute, but with our parents’ help, it became something more substantial,” Aimee says. “We felt we could truly help someone with an endowed scholarship that was fully funded.”
The scholarship also reflects interests shared across the family. Brenda is an environmental chemist, Barry is an electrical engineer, and both Aimee and Bailey built careers in fields grounded in science and technology. Together, the family chose to direct the scholarship to women pursuing STEM fields, extending opportunity in an area that has played an important role in their own lives. “We all are very science and technology-oriented, so it was a natural fit for us,” Aimee says.
For Aimee and Bailey, however, the gift is about more than a particular course of study. It is a way to give future students the same chance to discover what Rice might make possible for them. Bailey’s own experience receiving financial assistance made that goal especially meaningful.
“Naturally, you want to pay that forward,” Aimee says.
Accelerate the Vision
By giving together and drawing on different financial resources, the Basile family created a lasting commitment to Rice, STEM education and the next generation of women entering technical fields. To learn how you can support student scholarships through The Rice Investment, email giving@rice.edu or call 713-348-4600.
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Giving to Rice
Development & Alumni Relations
P.O. BOX 1892
Houston, Texas 77251-1892
Phone: 713-348-4991
Email: giving@rice.edu
