Irvine, April 18, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- UnitedAg announces the winners of the 2023 AEF Educational Scholarship Program. Forty-two students from agricultural communities across California and Arizona won awards ranging from $500 to $6,000. This year the Agribusiness Education Foundation Scholarship Program awarded $74,800 in total. The foundation (AEF) has provided financial assistance of more than $1.8 million to more than 1,100 students. The member-sponsored scholarship program by UnitedAg empowers the ag community through financial support and leadership programs.
The top three scholarships were awarded to Hanna Scully, an agribusiness major at California State University, Chico, Karli Lundberg, an agricultural communications major at California Polytech University, San Luis Obispo, and Kassidi McLeod an agribusiness major at California State University, Chico.
“Supporting our future agricultural professionals is the purpose and mission of the Agribusiness Education Foundation. As our industry faces a wave of farmer retirements, leaving many family farms with the tough decision of who will take on the family business its programs like the AEF foundation that are exposing our industry to the next generation of agricultural leaders” said Loretta Brown, AEF Committee Chair.
This year’s AEF Educational Scholarship winners are:
| Adelia Guerrero | Buckeye, AZ | Duncan Family Farms |
| Amber Snook | Arroyo Grande, CA | Babe Farms |
| America Huipio-Piedra | Visalia, CA | Nichols Farms |
| Ana Rosas Pacheco | Santa Maria, CA | Faith Farming, LLC |
| Andrew Zendejas | Gonzales, CA | Foothill Packing |
| Caleb Peltzer | Visalia, CA | Peltzer Enterprises |
| Carmen Ortiz-Cruz | Orland, CA | Capay Farms |
| Carson Wallace | Springville, CA | Lindsay-Strathmore Irrigation District |
| Catherine Regan | Tucson, AZ | Regan Distributors, Inc. |
| David Hernandez | Santa Paula, CA | Saticoy Lemon Association |
| Dominic Odegaard | San Luis Obispo, CA | Plant Sciences, Inc. |
| Emily Cerney | Colusa, CA | Cameron C. Kaelin Farming |
| Emma James | Salinas, CA | Green Valley Farm Supply, Inc. |
| Flavio Carrillo-Gonzalez | Watsonville, CA | Henry Hibino Farms |
| Hadassah Legaspi | Salinas, CA | Ramco Enterprises |
| Hanna Scully * | Lakeport, CA | Scully Packing Company, LLC |
| Hannah OConnor | San Luis Obispo, CA | Michael Rue |
| Idalia Bucio Rodriguez | Santa Maria, CA | Plantel Nurseries |
| Isabella Argueta | Visalia, CA | Nichols Farms |
| Jackie Madrigal | Lindsay, CA | Setton Pistachio |
| Jackson Roberts | Salinas, CA | Church Brothers Farms, LLC |
| Jacqueline Martinez Rojas | Santa Maria, CA | Rancho Guadalupe |
| Jennifer Millan | Salinas, CA | Church Brothers Farms, LLC |
| Jesse Blanco | Salinas, CA | Ramco Enterprises |
| Kaitlyn Kampmann | Orland, CA | K&S Spreading and Hauling |
| Karli Lundberg ** | Santa Maria, CA | Babe Farms, Inc. |
| Kassidi McLeod *** | Orland, CA | Erick Nielsen Enterprises |
| Katherine Miller | Edinburgh, UK | Saticoy Lemon Association |
| Landon Trinh | Garden Grove, CA | UnitedAg |
| Lindsey Kennel Kisling | Porterville, CA | Setton Pistachio |
| Madden Hill | Waterford, CA | Central Counties DHIA |
| Maggie Farlow | Chico, CA | Farmers Brewing Company |
| Marco Antonio Ceja | Soledad, CA | Dynapac Harvesting, Inc. |
| Mikayla Gonzales | Devine, TX | UnitedAg |
| Noah Peltzer | Visalia, CA | Peltzer Enterprises |
| Sandy Rubio | Pittsburgh, PA | Neil Jones Food Company |
| Sierra Dorf-Cardenas | Santa Cruz, CA | Rijk Zwaan USA |
| Sylvia Hernandez | Fairfield, CA | Frog's Leap Winery |
| Tyler Keegan | Salinas, CA | Nunes Cooling, Inc. |
| Vanessa Enciso | La Palma, CA | UnitedAg |
| Venissia Garcia | Fresno, CA | Nichols Farms |
| Wendy Ceja | Soledad, CA | Dynapac Harvesting, Inc. |
* Maurice McMillan Scholarship
** William C. Goodrich Scholarship
*** Women in Agriculture Scholarship
Award winners were required to complete an application that includes their high school or college information as well as an essay question, personal statement describing why they are seeking the scholarship and how receiving this scholarship will enhance their educational goal. Student applications are reviewed by the education committee that is comprised of UnitedAg members. Scholarship award ceremonies have been scheduled throughout California, Arizona and Texas to recognize the award recipients. For more information on the 2023 AEF Scholarship awards, visit unitedag.org/aef.
About UnitedAg
UnitedAg represents more than 1,000 agriculture-affiliated member companies and helps its members meet their employee benefits needs, promotes their interests with lawmakers, helps them comply with health legislation and regulation. Based in Irvine, Calif., UnitedAg has offices in Irvine, Salinas, and wellness centers throughout the Central Valley and Northern California. UnitedAg offers benefits to over 55,000 agricultural workers in California and Arizona. For more information about AEF, visit unitedag.org/education-and-youth.
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