Kareem Badawi may have only been at The University of Alabama for one semester, but his legacy at the Capstone will last forever. Kareem was one of the victims who lost their lives in the 2025 New Year’s Day terrorist attack in New Orleans. His loved ones describe him as a constant, positive light in their lives.
“Kareem was my brother’s best friend. Every time I went home from college, he was at my house,” said Mary Scott Thom, a graduate of UA. “Whenever my parents would come for Parent’s Weekend, [my brother] would bring his friends Ethan and Kareem with him. They both started to love campus and decided to come to college here.”
Mary Scott says seeing Kareem on campus was special. He was always excited to be here and eager to make a difference. He jumped right into getting involved at UA by joining Sigma Chi and diving into his courses as an engineering major.
“He loved engineering,” said Mary Scott. “He was so passionate about wanting to be an engineer.”
After Kareem’s death, his high school, Episcopal School of Baton Rouge, began working on ways to honor his legacy. When Mary Scott heard about these efforts, she felt called to take action to make sure he was remembered at UA as well.
“He had such an impact at Episcopal, and he was never going to be forgotten there by anybody,” she said. “He was at UA for such a short time. He deserved to be here for four years. So, I started thinking about what I could do to keep his name alive here so people could always remember him.”
That is when Mary Scott came up with the idea of establishing an endowed scholarship fund in Kareem’s name. Working with the scholarship and development offices, she learned she would need to raise $25,000 to fully endow the fund. She began thinking outside the box, emailing every president of the sororities and fraternities on campus, reaching out to the Student Government Association, contacting family members and connecting with Kareem’s Sigma Chi brothers.
Support quickly began pouring in. Matching donors from Sigma Chi helped the fund meet its goal faster than anticipated.
“I feel like this is really special for his family because they know how excited he was to come here,” she said. “His name will always be remembered no matter what. Those who donated to the scholarship learned more about him and were educated about who he was. His name is now going to be known by thousands of people, and that’s really special.”
On February 9, 2026, a special luncheon was held to honor Kareem and his family and to introduce the scholarship. Mary Scott, her parents and brother, Kareem’s father, uncle and brother, along with his friend Ethan and members of Sigma Chi, attended the event alongside staff from the Division of Student Life.
“It was a moment where we were all able to come together,” said Mary Scott. “It was sad, but Dr. Hood, the vice president for Student Life, knew all the right things to say, telling Kareem’s family how much of an impact this scholarship is going to have. We even talked about the sports Kareem played in high school. It allowed us to celebrate him, even during a difficult time.”
After the luncheon, the group visited the Crimson Promenade to see Kareem’s brick, another powerful reminder of his legacy on campus. Members of Sigma Chi later took Kareem’s family to the chapter house, giving them the opportunity to meet his friends and see a glimpse of the life he had started building at the Capstone.
“It was a bittersweet moment to be able to see the community that he did have here and that cared about him. Even though it was his first semester, they truly knew and loved him during that time,” she said.
Mary Scott says the experience has been deeply meaningful. The University opened so many doors for her, so creating this scholarship is her way of giving back to the institution that shaped her while honoring a lifelong family friend she knows would have made a difference at UA as well.
“Alabama has been such a special place for me. I really loved being here. It’s more than where I went to college. It is where I was able to create this scholarship and where Kareem’s name will live forever,” she said.