How a Sweatshirt Sparked a $60K Gift

When Michelle “Grace” Nichols ’80 unwrapped a holiday gift from a friend—a UC Davis sweatshirt—she didn’t expect it to inspire plans for her retirement.

“Something just clicked,” Nichols recalled. “I received a full-tuition scholarship when I was a student, and I always meant to pay it back. That sweatshirt made me realize it was time.”

That impulse turned into action, thanks to what she calls her “$60,000 sweatshirt”—a playful nod to the modern-day cost of a UC Davis education and the gift she’s committed to paying forward.

Each year, Nichols and her husband, Ron, give a portion of their retirement using a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) to the same scholarship fund that supported her decades ago.

“QCDs aren’t just tax-efficient,” she said. “They are one less barrier to saying yes to giving—and giving now.”

A QCD is a simple way for retirees to support charitable institutions like UC Davis directly from their IRA while lowering their taxable income and meeting their Required Minimum Distribution.

‘Why Not Give Today?’

Nichols graduated from UC Davis in 1980 with a degree in agricultural and managerial economics, the only business degree available at the time.

A first-generation college student from Fremont, Calif., she self-funded most of the rest of her college years—working hard, taking maximum credits and finishing in just over three years. But what Nichols didn’t realize until decades later was that a significant part of her journey had been made possible by a Cal Aggie Alumni Association scholarship.

“I never even knew why I received the CAAA scholarship until I asked in my 60s,” she said with a laugh. “Turns out it was for outstanding leadership.”

Nichols’ UC Davis education opened doors to internships in San Francisco and Sacramento, and ultimately, a vibrant career in tech sales and consulting. For years, Nichols authored a personal column in BusinessWeek on how to sell more effectively. And she credits UC Davis with launching it all.

“Every opportunity led to another,” she said. “It was like a domino effect.”

Nichols recently met some UC Davis scholarship recipients at an awards luncheon and said she was inspired by the bright young students.

“We didn’t solve all the problems in my generation, so it’s exciting to see the next one ready to take them on,” she said.

Now retired and living in Reno, Nev., Nichols hopes her story nudges other alumni to act now.

“You can’t take it with you, so why not give today?” she said. “There are students arriving on campus right now who could really use the help.”