Posted on February 23, 2026 by Sean M. Wood
Rick Romano and Julianne Turko were confronted with the devastating loss of their son, Nik, in a motor vehicle accident in 2023. Two years earlier, he graduated from the Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design with a degree in Construction Science Management.
“After the accident, our world was turned upside down,” Rick said. “We were doing a lot of reading, and I came across this paraphrased quote. ‘No one is finally dead until the ripples they cause in the world die away. Until the clock wound up, winds down. Until the wine she made has finished its ferment. Until the crop they plant is harvested. Until their name is spoken for the last time, the span of someone else's life is only the core of their actual existence.’ We wanted our son to exist longer than the years he had to share with us. So, we started thinking about how we could do that.”
They decided the best way for Nik’s name to endure with meaning was to start a scholarship in his name. The Nik Romano Legacy Scholarship provides significant scholarships to junior or senior construction management majors. The first scholarships were awarded during the 2024-25 school year to four seniors, Matthew Wentland, Ethan Hile, Ryan Trejo and Gerry Garza. This year’s cohort of recipients are Cody Thompson, Riley Tabuyo, Sophie Vadachkoria, and Denisse Escamilla.
“It has always been important for us to give back to the community,” Julianne said. “Anyone who receives this scholarship, we hope they remember how it helped them, and pass that on as they move forward. It can be additional funding for the scholarship, or it can just be a kindness they perform for someone.”
“We try to convey to people to be generous, and you do not have to be generous just with your money,” Rick said. “A lot of us don't ever have an opportunity to have enough money to be generous with, but you could be generous with your time. If you don't have enough time to do stuff, you can be generous with how you treat others. We would be better off as a community if everyone could do that.”
— Sean M. Wood
