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Students get boost to begin a legacy at YSU
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From left, Joseph Cochran of Pulaski, Pa., Michael Giambattista of Canfield and Taylor Brandt of Leavittsburg are honored as Alumni Legacy scholarship recipients at the YSU Alumni House on Sunday.
By Sean Barron
YOUNGSTOWN
Michael Giambattista kicked off his 18th birthday Sunday by receiving something devoid of wrapping paper and a box: a $1,000 scholarship and a financial boost to start him down his path to higher education.
“I hope after [attending] YSU to get a job in the corporate business world, wherever that may be,” the Cardinal Mooney High School senior said after Sunday’s “Your Membership Matters” Alumni Society campaign that got under way at Youngstown State University’s Alumni House on Wick Avenue.
Giambattista, of Canfield, plans to major in business administration. He also was one of four students who received $1,000 Alumni Legacy scholarships at the event, intended to reconnect with a greater number of YSU alumni members.
The other three recipients were Joseph Cochran of Pulaski, Pa.; Taylor Brandt of Leavittsburg; and Michael Thomas of Youngstown. Thomas, however, was unable to attend the ceremony.
Giambattista, who owns a small snow-removal and lawn-care business, said he hopes to be an entrepreneur but doesn’t have a roadmap laid out. For now, plans include taking 16 credit hours next fall at YSU and continuing with his business, he said.
Requirements for the scholarships include maintaining a high grade-point average, writing an acceptable essay and having parents who are YSU alumni, noted Jackie LeViseur, the university’s interim director of alumni and events.
Cochran, a YSU junior and math-education major, fulfilled the last requirement in spades. Family members who have earned graduate and undergraduate degrees from the university include his parents, a brother, three uncles, three aunts and his grandmother, Cochran said proudly.
“It runs in the family to come here,” he added.
When he’s not in class, Cochran often can be found tutoring fellow students in math, including members of the Penguins football team. Doing so helps the players keep their GPAs up so as to remain eligible for sports, Cochran explained, adding that he tutors more than 20 hours a week.
Cochran said his long-term plans could include becoming a high-school math teacher and pursuing master’s and doctorate degrees in math.
“YSU has been fantastic, and I [would] have no problems coming back,” he said of returning to earn his master’s.
Obtaining an on-campus job, making new friends, maintaining good grades and taking advantage of YSU’s offerings are on the radar screen for Brandt, a LaBrae High School senior.
Brandt said he hopes to be accepted into law school, though he’s undecided about those plans as well as his career.
Brandt also has a family connection to YSU that includes a brother and his mother, both of whom earned degrees, he continued. Brandt’s mother is a reading teacher at LaBrae.
YSU has more than 94,000 alumni members, many of whom live in the region. Others, however, live as far away as China, Greece and Australia, LeViseur noted.
“Alumni members make up our history and tradition. They can also be a voice that helps shape the university’s vision,” she said. “They contribute to where we’re going as an office and a university.”
In addition, many alums receive perks such as discounts on cars and motels, noted Shelly LaBerto, alumni president.