By Zulfa Rizqiya
From Compass
Michael and Ellen Sostarich said their daughter, Rebecca “Becky” Schultz, never missed an opportunity to cheer on the Ohio University Bobcats.
“She went to all of the athletic events, with her favorite being the basketball games,” said Ellen Sostarich, an Ohio University alum who earned an M.A. in English from the College of Arts & Sciences. “You know how fans are selected to take foul shots for prizes during half-time? She was actually picked once and was so ecstatic!”
Rebecca Schultz, BSEd ’96 Photo courtesy of: Sostarich Schultz family
Schultz died of cancer in 2012. To honor her enthusiasm for athletics, Michael and Ellen Sostarich established the Rebecca Sostarich Schultz Memorial Scholarship, which supports female athletes graduating from Athens High School who are enrolling at OHIO.
Michael Sostarich said athletics have always been a big part Schultz’s life. As a teenager, when she wasn’t cheering on the OHIO Bobcats, Schultz was representing the Athens High School Bulldogs, playing on the volleyball, basketball, and softball team. She was named Athlete of the Year her senior year in 1991 and was inducted into the Athens High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2006.
Schultz was a lifelong Bobcat fan growing up as her father, Michael Sostarich, arrived at Ohio University in 1969 as a graduate student and became Vice President for Student Affairs in 2000.
“We want to honor her memory and time at Athens High School, but also her time here at Ohio University,” said Michael Sostarich. “She was such a devoted fan of the Bobcats, so we thought the combination of both would make the most sense.”
Schultz was passionate about teaching as she was about athletics. She graduated from Ohio University in 1996 with a bachelor’s degree in education and received her master’s degree in special education from Cleveland State University. She later became a third grade teacher at the Cleveland City Schools Sunbeam Elementary School.
“Education is a kind of a family business, but the main inspiration for Becky to become a teacher was her love for kids,” said Michael Sostarich. “She wanted to help kids.”
Ellen Sostarich says while Becky had the opportunity to work in a suburban school district, she chose to stay in a city school environment for the sake of the students.
“I don’t think a lot of people realized the depth of her commitment to her students,” said Ellen Sostarich. “A lot of the students she worked with had special needs.”
Michael and Ellen Sostarich believe the scholarship will both honor Schultz’s legacy in athletics as well as continue her contributions to education.
“It’s great that it not only keeps Rebecca’s memory alive, but helps someone at the same time,” said Michael Sostarich. “We’ll continue contributing through the years and keep building it up.”
The Sostarich’s gift is part of OHIO’s The Promise Lives Campaign, which surpassed its $450 million goal in May 2014, 14 months prior to Campaign’s June 30, 2015 deadline. To date, Campaign donors have committed more than $480 million to OHIO’s students, faculty, programs, outreach and select facilities.
Established in 1945 by OHIO President John C. Baker, The Ohio University Foundation is the fundraising unit responsible for raising, investing, and disbursing funds in support of the OHIO educational mission. The Foundation is an institutionally related, non-profit, tax exempt, 501c(3) organization, and is the repository for all private gifts to the University through annual giving programs, capital and special campaigns, and planned or deferred gifts.
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