Named in Honor

At 27 years old, Siddhant Nikam ’19 has accomplished a lot. But not so much that “I can name an entire building after me,” he jokes. For now, he’s happy with a classroom.

Named in honor of his father, Sanjiv Mukund Nikam, the classroom is inside the Sobrato Campus for Discovery and Innovation (SCDI). Nikam, a finance major who now works in portfolio management, says he chose the location because his dad, who works at NVIDIA, made his career in computer engineering.

“He was very emotional, it was a great honor,” Nikam says of his dad’s reaction to the classroom, which was a surprise birthday gift. Though his father did not personally attend Santa Clara, Nikam says he’s always been proud that his only child decided to be a Bronco.

“He always says that people from Santa Clara are different, that they can talk to anyone,” Nikam says. “He was really glad I went there and how I turned out after.”

Nikam came up with the idea through connections he made at the SCU Board Leadership Academy, which trains alumni to serve on and work with leadership boards at non- and for-profit companies.

“I think there’s meaning in everything large and small,” Nikam says. “Thinking about the future, bringing my own kids to visit their grandfather’s classroom, it means a lot to me.”

To learn more about opportunities, large and small, to support Santa Clara, visit scu.edu/giving.