As a Student, He Bought a Silver Aggie Ring. Today, It’s a Daily Inspiration of Where He Started.

Nothing catches an Aggie’s eye like the sight of an Aggie Ring.

With a shield and class year prominently featured on the front, a Texas star on one side and military symbols on the other, the ring is instantly recognizable. And it’s almost always made of gold.

Almost.

But such is not the case for the Aggie Ring proudly worn by Jose Corleto ’81 ’84.

When the El Salvador native accrued enough hours to order his ring, he couldn’t afford the traditional gold version. And with three younger siblings trailing him to Texas A&M University, he didn’t want to ask his parents to pay for it. So, with money he had saved on his own, Jose purchased a silver Aggie Ring.
 

“People tell me, ‘You have enough money now to buy a gold ring,’” Jose shared. “And that’s true. But I don’t want to ever forget that there was a time in my life that I couldn’t afford the gold one. So even though I can buy one now, I won’t.”

The Aggie Difference

Jose began his college career at Texas A&M in 1977. It was a journey that would last seven years. He emerged with bachelor’s degrees in both electrical and industrial engineering and a master’s degree in electrical engineering.

Like most Aggies, Jose’s memories of his Texas A&M days are filled with the excitement of football games and the camaraderie of Midnight Yell Practice. But as a Salvadoran, he also fondly recalls the many opportunities he found to interact with students from other countries.

“The university had a lot of students from Latin America, and there were multiple associations and events where you could meet other international students,” he said. “They had shows, presentations and opportunities to try foods from other countries. They would even invite guest speakers to discuss Central America’s political climate at the time. You wouldn’t get exposed to these types of things unless you were in an educational environment like Texas A&M.”
 

Knowing firsthand the financial difficulties often encountered by Latin American students, Roxanna and Jose requested that their FEAs be awarded to students pursuing STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) degrees who either live in Central America or are first-generation descendants of Central American families residing in the United States. If no applicants meet this criteria, their scholarships are awarded to Hispanic students who live in the U.S. and are pursuing STEM degrees.

By giving in the form of FEA endowments, the Corletos’ support of Latin American students will continue indefinitely. But their generosity doesn’t stop there: With help from the Foundation, they also created an estate gift that will provide even more student support after they’re gone.             

Support for Tomorrow

For 15 long years, Roxanna and Jose were unable to have children. They had all but given up hope when Eliana was born in 2015. Two years later, they welcomed twin daughters, Nicole and Sarah. Wanting to raise their family in Texas, they moved from California to Austin. Jose’s commute to and from work, however, meant he rarely saw his “miracle kids.” Roxanna was likewise trying to juggle the responsibilities of teaching preschool and raising three children. They determined it was time for Jose to retire as Qualcomm’s vice president of engineering. “I enjoyed what I did, but I left because this was the bigger calling,” he said.

Jose’s retirement package included shares of Qualcomm stock. With guidance from the Foundation, he transferred this stock into a charitable remainder unitrust (CRUT), benefiting from an immediate charitable income tax deduction and avoiding capital gains tax. Each month, the couple receives payments based on a percentage of the trust’s value. As they’ve added to the CRUT, their payouts have increased.

“When you’re retired, your salary goes away,” Jose said. “So, we felt that a CRUT was a good vehicle to increase the scholarship amount that we could provide while, at the same time, providing us with reliable income for our own expenses.”

The CRUT will deliver payments to Roxanna and Jose for the rest of their lives, and after, the remainder will supplement the FEA endowments they’ve already created. The fact that Roxanna and Jose are already supporting students with their FEAs and will continue to do so at an even greater level through their estate is particularly satisfying for the couple. As Jose put it, “The need will always be there.”
 

The Corletos have immensely enjoyed interacting with their FEA scholars. And with a recent move to Bryan to be near family — including Jose’s brother Dr. Carlos Corleto ’84 ’86 ’90, a professor of practice in Texas A&M’s mechanical engineering department — Roxanna and Jose hope to spend more time with their recipients to show their daughters the importance of a college education. They also hope to pass on the trait of a grateful, generous spirit.

“It’s so nice to see these young kids achieve their dreams, knowing that we helped them a little bit,” Roxanna said. “Being able to support students who don’t have a lot of resources is important to us—particularly kids from Latin America. We’ve been so blessed, and this is the best way we can give back.”

Jose concurred: “My philosophy is that you don’t need to be rich to help other people. You just need to be willing to do something.”