Brothers celebrate fulfilling father’s dream
When Zaed Sadman Beg earned a master’s degree in 2024, he wasn’t able to attend the commencement ceremony and walk the stage. On Saturday, he finally had the chance to celebrate his achievement with his brother, who also graduated from Texas A&M University-Victoria.
Zaed and Jadid Sadaf Beg walked the stage at Faith Family Church Saturday during the A&M-Victoria spring commencement ceremonies while their family cheered and applauded in the audience. The brothers and their family are from Bangladesh, so making the trip to Texas was a large undertaking, but the family was excited to celebrate their achievements.
“Zaed’s and Jadid’s story is just one example of how a higher education can have an inspirational effect on a family and create a strong future,” said Xavier Garza-Gomez, interim dean of the College of Business. “We were proud to see them celebrate their accomplishments on Saturday, and we know they will take this experience into bigger and better things in the days ahead.”
Zaed earned a Master of Business Administration in global management in 2024, and Jadid recently earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting. The commencement ceremony on Friday was especially meaningful because it was the fulfillment of a dream their father had.
“It was our dad’s dream to study in the U.S. and finish his degrees here,” Jadid said. “Although that never worked out for him, Zaed and I are happy that we could fulfill that dream for him and have him and the rest of our family here to celebrate with us.”
Zaed first came to the U.S. through Virginia in 2014. He initially attended classes there for six months before moving to Texas, where he transferred to Houston Community College. Texas was a good fit for him. The weather was similar to what he was used to back home in Bangladesh, and the Houston area has a large international population.
Although it took a long time because of financial issues, Zaed earned his bachelor’s degree from A&M-Victoria, then known as the University of Houston-Victoria, in 2022. He immediately enrolled in the MBA program to continue his studies. At the same time, his brother Jadid graduated from HCC with an associate degree in graphic design and decided to transfer to the university to pursue a bachelor’s in business.
“I’ve always enjoyed business, even back in high school,” Jadid said. “I tried a few different majors trying to find the right fit, but I like the idea of using my understanding of artistic and creative work that I learned while studying graphic design and using that in tandem with my business knowledge.”
Zaed chose business for his degree after taking some time to explore not just his interests but also his talents when working with others. Although he enjoyed studying and learning about physics, he knew that he was better at working with and managing others, he said. That inspired him to go into business so he could use those skills in a productive way.
Now that they’ve graduated, the brothers are considering their next steps. Jadid is planning to return to A&M-Victoria to earn an MBA. Zaed has been working with an e-commerce company in recent years. Before he graduated, he had reached the role of assistant manager. Now that he has a master’s degree, the company promoted him to manager. He plans to continue working for the company for the foreseeable future.
“I always wanted to come to the United States for higher education. Since I did not have the ability, I sent my sons to get their higher education in a country where there are ample opportunities,” their father, MD Saiful Alam Beg said. “I am very happy and proud of them for not only fulfilling my dream, but also for their betterment.”
Texas A&M University-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region since 1973 in Victoria, Texas, offers courses leading to more than 50 academic programs in the colleges of Business, Education & Health Professions, Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, and Natural & Applied Science. A&M-Victoria provides face-to-face classes at its Victoria campus, as well as online classes that students can take from anywhere. The university supports the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Opportunities for All initiative to increase awareness about state colleges and universities and the important role they have in providing a high-quality and accessible education to an increasingly diverse student population, as well as contributing to regional and state economic development.