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closeThree Peninsula High School graduates on a mission to fund scholarship program
‘Class of 2008 Scholarship Fund’ sets high goals
Nate Hulings
of the Gateway
When Brodie Yastrum started to look at colleges a few years ago, he knew that obtaining scholarships would be vital to continuing his education.
The 2008 Peninsula High School graduate had no financial support from his parents, who moved to Arizona during his junior year of high school.
“They didn’t help me, so I didn’t know how I was going to get to college,” Yastrum said.
Despite the lack of parental support, he was able to secure about $6,000 through multiple scholarships awarded through the Hawks Scholarship Foundation.
During the assembly, Yastrum, who was one of his class valedictorians, noticed that graduating classes from previous decades funded some scholarships.
He asked himself, “Why not us?”
Soon afterward, three friends formed a Facebook group to keep in touch with their graduating classmates. They soon weaved in the scholarship idea and began to raise funds.
Along with his girlfriend, Anna Marie Tallariti, and friend, Robb Haydon, Yastrum began to collect scholarship money mostly through mail and face-to-face conversations.
Yastrum and Tallariti, both currently sophomores at the University of Washington, began to meet with former classmates, trying to raise as much money as possible.
In its first year, the “Class of 2008 Scholarship Fund” collected from 25 people — not just graduates — and raised enough money for two $200 scholarships.
This year, they’ve set their sights higher.
Since the group raised the funds, it also was able to select which students were to receive scholarships.
“We could all just decide on who we’d like to give it to,” Yastrum said.
Eight students showed up for donor night last year, pretty good odds to nab one of the two scholarships.
Since its creation in 2008, the Facebook group used to keep in touch with the PHS Class 2008 graduates now has 120 members — a constituency Yastrum hopes will be generous enough to increase the scholarship amount for the Class of 2010.
“If everyone gives 10 bucks, we can have $1,200,” he said.
Along with the increase in numbers, Yastrum also plans to rely less on snail mail and more on online social networking.
The PHS graduates have set up a blog that directly links to PayPal, an online payment system, making it easier for fellow graduates to donate.
The group’s goal is to double last year’s amount, and it hopes to award either four $200 scholarships or possibly two larger ones.
Donating to the scholarship fund is not inclusive to PHS graduates, Yastrum said.
The notion of giving back to a system that helped him live his college dream is enough justification for Yastrum to continue his class’ newest tradition.
Those interested in contributing to the scholarship fund can visit http://phs2008.blogspot.com and click the “Donate” button.
Donations accepted
The “Class of 2008 Scholarship Fund” is open to the public. Those interested can visit http://phs2008.blogspot.com and click “Donate.”