Banner Year for UC
San Diego Senior Class Challenge 2010

July 6, 2010

By Malinda Danziger

Photo/Erik Jepsen

For the University of California, San Diego Class of 2010, giving back to their alma mater started before the students even received their diplomas. Over 1,200 graduates, nearly one-quarter of the graduating class, made a gift of $20.10 each to support student scholarships at UC San Diego. This year’s Senior Class Challenge event brought in $24,288.40, a 40 percent increase over last year’s record-breaking challenge of $17,224.

"We’re excited to have raised the highest number of dollars and student participants in the history of the Senior Class Challenge and UCSD,” said Katie Hall, ’10, president of the UCSD Student Foundation, the organization that is responsible for the annual fundraising effort. “Next year, our members look forward to presenting two scholarships to current students on behalf of the Class of 2010.”

Each year, graduating seniors at UC San Diego are encouraged to make a donation to support scholarships that correspond to their graduating year. In 2009, the option to contribute to the Senior Class Challenge was included in a package, dubbed “Triton Pride Pack,” that included graduation keepsakes, as well as cap and gown rental, commencement fee, UCSD Alumni Association membership and the Senior Class Challenge.

“It has been a difficult year for higher education and those who have felt the impact the most are our most treasured and promising investment—our students,” said Armin Afsahi, ’90, executive director of the UCSD Alumni Association. “During these difficult economic times, it’s incredible to see so many students ‘pay it forward’ to the next generation of students at UC San Diego.”

With the introduction of the Triton Pride Pack, thanks to a partnership between the UCSD Alumni Association and UCSD Bookstore, the Senior Class Challenge has steadily increased the number of donors and funds raised for current student scholarships. Last year, more than 820 students gave to the 2009 Senior Class Challenge, raising $17,224.

UC San Diego established the UCSD Student Foundation in 1999 when alumni Marc, ’79, and Patty, ’83, Brutten seeded an endowment for students to manage and direct. Dedicated to helping grow the next generation of philanthropists, the Student Foundation gives students the opportunity to learn the importance of philanthropy while running a foundation that funds student scholarships.

“Philanthropy is contagious,” said Kevin Eimoto, ’10, a UCSD Student Foundation trustee and recent graduate. “The more students get involved, the more the principles of philanthropy will spread across campus.”

To learn more about the UCSD Student Foundation, visit studentfoundation.ucsd.edu.

Media contacts:
Malinda Danziger, mdanziger@ucsd.edu, 858-822-0063
Judy Piercey, jpiercey@ucsd.edu, 858-534-6128