2026 Students of Distinction

Trey Yahne: A journey of self-confidence and academic excellence

Gig Harbor Now is posting profiles featuring the Students of Distinction being honored by the Greater Gig Harbor Foundation. Peers, teachers or parents nominate students, who must be a graduating senior at a Peninsula School District school. A panel of community leaders selects students to be honored in one of seven categories: academics; athletics; career and technical excellence; community service; music, arts and drama; overcoming adversity; and science and technology.

These students will be celebrated during a banquet from 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, May 20, at Ocean5, 5268 Pt. Fosdick Dr.

School: Peninsula High School

Category: Science and technology

For Trey Yahne, science has always been connected to discovery — not only understanding the world around him, but also learning how to challenge and improve himself along the way. Throughout high school, the Peninsula High School senior combined his passion for biology, physics, and paleontology with a growing personal commitment to discipline, health, and self-confidence.

Trey pursued college-level coursework in biology, astronomy-based physics, and political science while exploring his interests through marine science and field ecology classes. But some of the most meaningful growth he experienced happened outside of academics.

Trey Yahne

Growing up, Trey often struggled with confidence and feeling comfortable in his own skin. Over the past year, he made a major commitment to improving both his physical and mental health through weightlifting, nutrition, and studying the science behind athletic performance.

“I wanted to become someone I could feel proud of,” Trey says.

That determination led to dramatic personal progress. In just over a year, Trey significantly increased both his strength and confidence, something he says taught him the value of consistency, patience, and self-discipline.

“What made me love lifting even more was learning the science behind it,” he says. “Understanding how the body works made me even more interested in science overall.”

Trey credits much of his growth to the encouragement of his family and friends, who continuously supported him as he pushed himself toward his goals.

His long-term dream is to study paleontology — a field that combines many of the scientific subjects he has always been drawn to, including biology, earth science, and discovery.

“I’ve always wanted to explore the world and make discoveries of my own,” he says.

For Trey, science represents more than academics alone. It represents curiosity, growth, and the understanding that meaningful change often happens one step at a time — whether studying the natural world or learning how to believe in yourself.