A month ago, the Thunderbolt Sports Talk podcast — where recent Cranston High School East graduates Timothy Yean and Charlie Adams used to recap the week in school sports — released its 15th and final episode: “The Last Dance.” The episode opens with an electric guitar riff before Adams speaks up.

“Tim, it’s been a journey, and it’s winding down here,” he says.

“It’s gonna be sad to say goodbye,” Yean adds.

Between podcasts and sporting event announcements, Yean’s voice is familiar to Cranston East students. And Yean, who recently won the Rhode Island PBS scholarship in recognition of his passion for sports broadcasting, is ready to take the next step in his journey.

Over his next four years pursuing communications at Rhode Island College, Yean will receive up to $60,000 from the scholarship, which is funded through the Rhode Island Foundation. He was selected from 27 applicants across Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts.

Yean applied for the scholarship after hearing about it from a previous winner and fellow school announcer, submitting a written response, a letter of recommendation, his transcript and his resume. In high school, he served as Student Council president and an announcer for Cranston East’s sports.

He recalled playing Red Dead Redemption 2 when he received the call from the RI Foundation telling him he’d won.

“I was legitimately in total shock from the call,” Yean said. “My heart was racing and my mind was flustered and that entire call I just kept saying ‘Oh my god.’”

“I knew right then and there that I wouldn’t have to worry too much about paying for college any longer,” he added.

Yean’s passion for sports broadcasting first surfaced in eighth grade when he wrote up a tortoise-and-hare algebra problem like a sports commentator describing a race, according to a press release from the RI Foundation.

At Cranston East, Yean took “Writing for Sports Media” with Ken Simone, who went on to mentor him throughout high school and advised the Thunderbolt Media Club.

“He was a person I could look to not just for advice, but also for just regular conversation, and he helped transform me from a quiet kid that was new to Cranston to a leader in my school and life,” Yean said of Simone. “I’m not sure if I’ll ever be able to repay him for all the help and support he has provided me.”

Other mentors along Yean’s announcing journey included Mo Holtzman and Pete Silva.

Adams was a source of support for Yean throughout high school as well. “His drive and effort are unmatched, and I am proud to call him my friend,” Yean said.

Yean also expressed gratitude for his parents’ “hard work and effort to provide me and my sister with the best life they can give us.” Alleviating some of their financial burden as he heads to college is “the best part about all of this,” he added.

He reflected on announcing and broadcasting for Rhode Island Interscholastic League Girls’ Soccer Championships with Adams and their friend Andy Wu, as well as winning the Thunderbolt Award at his graduation in June.

“It’s broadcasting my high school’s games with my friends that I had a lot of fun doing,” he said. “That’s something I don’t think you can recreate at any other level.”

Now, Yean looks ahead to tackling college and “any broadcasting opportunities RIC could present.”

“It’s all an open view right now,” he said.

Editor’s Note: Anisha Kumar is a Beacon Media editorial intern this summer.