Mark and Teresa Medearis | MIT Technology Review

After their son Nicky ’22 broke his leg competing for MIT’s indoor track team in 2019, Mark and Teresa Medearis, 3,000 miles away in California, were buoyed by the momentum support from the MIT Athletics Community and the Division of Student Life. “We were embraced by the community when we had this adversity,” says Teresa. “Our eyes have been opened to MIT and how it takes care of its students.”

Building Bridges: Mark and Teresa are halfway through completing a donation to staff the position of Head Coach for Men’s and Women’s Cross Country. Teresa served as vice president of the Parent Leadership Circle — part of a mission, she says, to “build a bridge for parents from California to MIT” — and currently serves on the society’s development committee. The couple also plans to create a scholarship. “Two-thirds of MIT students receive some form of financial aid,” says Teresa. “That’s where the need is.”

Investing in minds and hands: “MIT is changing the world in so many ways,” says Mark, a Silicon Valley lawyer. “The very first speech students hear is, ‘Come and help us make the world a better place.’” Teresa, an engineer, cites the opportunities MIT provides for women, who make up half of undergraduate enrollment and the half of the student-athletes in the nation’s biggest division. Program III. “Giving to MIT is an investment in the future,” she says. “There is no better reward.”

Help MIT build a better world. For more information, contact Liz Vena: 617.324.9228; evena@mit.edu. Or visit http://giving.mit.edu.