By Kate Kelly, Reporter
Vashon Island High School has a history of producing college athletes, and many schools across the United States have begun their admissions processes for the 2017/18 school year. A number of Vashon’s aspiring athletes are searching for college scholarships during this process.
According to Debt.org, 46 billion dollars is awarded each year for scholarships and grants by the U.S. department of education, along with 3.3 billion in gift aid that is awarded by many private sources.
This year, seniors Katherine Andrus, Emily Milbrath, and Katrina Heffernan are among the select few VHS students choosing to pursue their respective sports in college.
Heffernan and Milbrath are applying to Saint Mary’s College of California, while Andrus is looking at Sacramento State, Eastern Washington University, Washington State University, and Oregon State University for scholarship opportunities. For each student, the decision to compete in college sports comes under different circumstances.
“My sister did crew, so it’s just a natural thing for the younger sibling to try it after the older sibling,” said senior Katerina Heffernan who is looking for a scholarship for rowing.
Heffernan has been rowing for four years, and is a varsity team member of the Vashon Island Rowing Club. She has competed in multiple national events, including the prestigious Head of the Charles Regatta, the world’s largest two-day rowing event, located in Boston, Massachusetts. She is looking to earn a scholarship for rowing at Saint Mary’s College of California.
Heffernan wanted to row in college for many reasons.
“Seeing all the other girls that graduated and how much they enjoyed rowing in college really made me want to continue rowing,” said Heffernan. “I just love the sport, and I really don’t want to stop doing it.”
For athletes like Heffernan, the decision for playing sports in college was difficult.
“Committing to four years of a pretty demanding sport is a tough decision, but I’m really happy [about my choice].”
Other students, such as senior Katherine Andrus have additional reasons for wanting to do a sport like track and field competitively in college.
“Getting a scholarship would really help me pay for school,” said Andrus, “but in the end, if I don’t get one for the school I want, it’s okay because I love track, and that’s why I never want it to end.”
Andrus hopes to receive a scholarship from Sacramento State, Eastern Washington University, Washington State University, or Oregon State University.
Andrus, who began running track in sixth grade, now commutes to Tacoma three days a week, where she competes for the Flying AJ’s, a track and field team for hopeful Olympic athletes.
She shows similar reasons to Heffernan’s for beginning the sport.
“I think I was forced to do [track and field] in middle school,” said Andrus, “[My brother] went to state in track and cross country.”
Senior Emily Milbrath is another of the many senior varsity rowers at Vashon Island Rowing Club, and is looking for a scholarship to Saint Mary’s College of California.
“My dad used to make me do a lot of summer camps,” said Milbrath, “and I’ve been doing swimming for five years. I went and did a crew summer camp, and I came back from the first day and told my mom that I was quitting swimming and joining crew because it was awesome.”
Milbrath has been rowing for four years, coming up on her fifth.
“I have [rowed] for so long, that I honestly can’t imagine stopping in a year,” said Milbrath. “I have to be doing a sport [in college] to stay happy and fit, and rowing is my thing.”