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 Cliff Buchan
News Editor
By definition, a dictionary will tell you that quest can mean “to go in search,” or “any journey or undertaking in pursuit of a typically lofty or noble goal.”
Journeys have marked the lives of Forest Lake High School graduates Jess Fedderly and Brian Brenberg over the past decade. For the two 1998 graduates, the East Coast and Boston is now home.
Jess Fedderly, right, a 1998 Forest Lake High School grad and Princeton University graduate, is shown at her desk with Putnam Investments in Boston where she is a bond analyst.
It’s far from Forest Lake, but in 10 years of travels, work and schooling, the two have come to appreciate life in a different part of the world. In adapting to a new life style, both Brenberg and Fedderly believe they have grown as a result of their paths in life.
Fedderly, who is today a bond analyst with Putnam Investments in Boston, left high school to attend Princeton University in New Jersey on a hockey scholarship. She traveled the nation as a collegiate athlete before earning a degree and launching a business career, first in Philadelphia and now in Boston with Putnam.
Brenberg completed his undergraduate degree in business at St. Thomas before going to work for St. Paul Companies, now Traveler’s Insurance. After three years of work in Minnesota and with an assignment in Ireland, Brenberg entered the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard. This spring he will receive an MBA in public policy from the Kennedy School at Harvard.
While the two have traveled far and put down new roots, they have not forgotten their home town.
Quest scholarship
Starting this year the two Forest Lake High School products, in partnership with the Community Scholarship Foundation, plan to present the first Quest Scholarship.
The Quest Scholarship program is being designed to provide academic assistance to at least one high school senior who is pursuing academic opportunities outside of the five state region (Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, North Dakota and South Dakota).
Fedderly and Brenberg formed the grant program as a way to encourage current Forest Lake High School to consider post-secondary options beyond the five-state area.
The initial goal, the two said this week, is to raise funds to award one $500 scholarship this year. Family and friends will likely contribute the bulk of the scholarship money this year.
By 2009, however, it is hoped the dollar amount can be increased as more Forest Lake graduates and community supporters learn of the program.
Why important
The two Quest Scholarship founders believe their lives have been enriched by their decision to step out to new regions of the globe, first to study and now to live.
“It definitely made me more open-minded and expanded my world view,” Fedderly said, reflecting on her travels over the past 10 years. Textbook learning is one thing but seeing things first hand is even more beneficial, she said.
Fedderly says she has grown from her travels and the opportunity of meeting a wide range of people from all walk’s of life.
Brenberg said his work in Ireland and an internship in California opened his eyes to a greater world stage. When it came time to seek his master’s, Boston and Harvard quickly captured his attention. His future could include work with a foundation in Washington, D.C.
Like Fedderly, he says he has grown as a result of his travels and experiences.
“To me, it was perspective,” Brenberg said. “I understand how people think. You can understand where they are coming from.”
Brenberg sees his growth as a young adult tightly linked with the early foundation that was built back home. “For me, having grown up in Minnesota, that’s where my roots developed.”
How it started
The formation of the Quest Scholarship did not happen overnight. And both Fedderly and Brenberg said their Minnesota ties are largely responsible.
Friends from high school, Fedderly, Brenberg and his wife, Krista Hipkins Brenberg, have formed a fellowship for social time when their busy schedules would allow. Krista Brenberg works in office administration at Harvard.
“It’s a strange coincidence that we all ended up out here,” Fedderly said. That was in 2005 when the Brenbergs moved east and Fedderly relocated to Boston from Philadelphia.
“It’s a nice Minnesota connection,” Brenberg said of the interaction of the three good friends.
The idea of the scholarship slowly materialized over two years of conversation. Brenberg is quick to give Fedderly the credit for real idea.
“It was really Jess who found the way to help other kids find this same experience,” Brenberg said.
CSF door open
Through contacts with the Community Scholarship Foundation back home , the two found the perfect vehicle to run the Quest program.
As the idea came to be in 2007, Fedderly and Brenberg struggled with ways to administer the program and establishing and documenting the criteria for a named scholarship. There were also the worries of accounting for donors, establishing and maintaining the application process, providing the scholarship administration and setting the tax-deductible status of donations.
“How can we possibly connect with alumni?” Brenberg asked.
When the CSF, through current board president Dr. Lee Sinna, confirmed that the CSF could in fact handle the details, Brenberg and Fedderly undertook the scholarship drive.
With CSF planning this spring to award some $75,000 in scholarships to seniors and former graduates, the Quest program is a nice addition, Sinna said.
“This is an effort that reflects what I believe to be the essential spirit of our organization, and once again underscores its importance in the lives of our graduates,” Sinna said.
“Jessica and Brian deserve our gratitude and our support.”
How to help
CSF is now accepting donations to the Quest Scholarship program. They can be made two ways.
One way is by sending tax-deductible donations to Community Scholarship Foundation, Forest Lake High School, C/O Student Services Department, 6101 Scandia Trail N., Forest Lake, MN 55025. Checks should be made payable to Community Scholarship Foundation and should be specified to the Quest Scholarship program.
Donation information is also available at:
www.forestlakecsf.org.
Brenberg and Fedderly also hope they can rally more classmates and alumni from other graduating classes to share in their mission.
They can also be reached for more details.
Write to Fedderly at:
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Write to Brenberg at:
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“We’re trying to drum up support,” Fedderly said of the campaign to seek dollars for future scholars.
While the Bostonians carry on their campaign from afar, the two see the Quest Scholarship as a way to help someone from an area that was important to them.
“There are a lot of ways to give back.” Brenberg says. “This is a great way to connect to your roots. You can’t grow without roots.”
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