California students earn more than $200,000 in Farm Bureau scholarships

» August 7, 2012 «

More than 70 students wishing to pursue careers as farmers, ranchers or in occupations related to agriculture earned $202,250 in scholarships from the California Farm Bureau Scholarship Foundation. It was a milestone year for the foundation, marking more than $2 million in scholarships distributed since its inception in 1955.

The scholarships are awarded based on students' academic achievements, leadership skills, career goals, extracurricular activities and other factors.

Following interviews with the applicants, the foundation awarded $2,500 special scholarships to six students:

• Anthony Neve of Petaluma won the Howard P. Wackman II Perpetual Memorial Award, a scholarship named for the late California Farm Bureau Federation vice president. Neve will be a freshman this fall at the University of California, Davis, where he will major in agricultural business. He plans to follow in his father's footsteps as a farm owner and flower grower.
• Jynel Gularte of Salinas earned the Frederick J. Heringer Honorary Award, a scholarship named for the late CFBF president. Gularte will enter Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, this fall and after graduation hopes to put her education to work as a farm manager on her family's operation in the Salinas Valley.
• Kellie Mancino of Hollister was granted the Carolyn Richardson Memorial Award. An incoming freshman at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, Mancino will be an agricultural education major and plans to become an agriculture teacher. The scholarship is named for the late CFBF environmental advocate.
• Antoinette Machado of Los Banos earned the John H. Wiechman Memorial Award, ascholarship given in memory of the late CFBF Leadership Development manager. Machado will be a freshman at UC Davis, majoring in Plant and Soil Sciences, and looks forward to pursuing her passion for agriculture and genomics.
• Adrienne Bradley of Grass Valley and Jillian Casacca of Hydesville were awarded scholarships sponsored by the Agricultural Lenders Society of California. Bradley is a junior at UC Davis studying Agricultural and Resource Economics. She plans to pursue a career as an international agriculture ambassador. Casacca will attend California State University, Chico, in the fall and will major in business and accounting. Her goal is to become a loan officer and agricultural appraiser.

A sixth special scholarship category, the Rustici Livestock and Rangeland Scholarship Award, benefits rangeland-management students who plan careers in beef or sheep ranching or in range management. Thirty-one students earned Rustici scholarships for $2,500 or $5,000: Frank Arburua III, Stockton; Bailey Bidwell, Hat Creek; Mandy Brazil, Petaluma; Kendra Brennan, Sonora; Jessica Briggs, Littlerock; Clayton Brown, McArthur; Julie Burns, Pescadero; Corey Carpenter, Red Bluff; Kathryn Daley, Oroville; Katherine Dykier, Red Bluff; Sydney Fultz, Modesto; Kathleen Furtado, Bakersfield; Bailey Hagata, Susanville; Tom Hardesty, Elk Grove; Alison King, Atwater; Bill McDonald, Galt; Leland McDonald, Galt; Stephen Miller, Tracy; Alan Nader, Penn Valley; Katie Olagaray, Lodi; Justice Rasmussen, Angels Camp; Weston Roberti, Loyalton; Jacob Rogers, Glennville; Jordan Sparrowk, Clements; Kaitlin Swickard, Susanville; Katie Tenneson, Arcata; Grace Tobias, Tres Pinos; Benjamin Vanderhoof, Fresno; Danielle Wood, Susanville; Trevor Wood, Susanville; and Lee Yantis, Bakersfield.

California Farm Bureau Scholarship awards of $1,000 to high school seniors and $1,250 to enrolled college students were granted to 34 students: Collin Abraham, Livingston; Suzanne Amaral, Sonoma; Kevin Bargetto, Scotts Valley; Hannah Beeler, Escalon; Jiggs Briggs, Littlerock; Rosebud Brumley, Escalon; Emily Cehrs, Fresno; Jason Colombini, Linden; Craig Diener, Five Points; Adelaide Dyer, Alpine; John Gomes, Gustine; Mackenzie Gomes, Willows; Benjamin Granholm, Grass Valley; Kimberly Macintosh, Sutter Creek; Corinne Madison, Acampo; Alexander Marsh, Arbuckle; Maigen Matteucci, Orland; Harlee McEwen, Montague; Jonathan Mello, Gustine; Cassie Miner, Riverdale; Emily Paddack, Livermore; Taylor Pires, Los Banos; Cheyenne Poitra, Brawley; Tatiana Prestininzi, Fallbrook; Alayna Renner, Ferndale; Katherine Roberti, Loyalton; Madison Rollin, Riverdale; Jesse Silva, Le Grand; RaeAnne vanTol, Ramona; Jessica Vazquez, Cottonwood; Samantha Viano, Martinez; Jenna Wirkner, Penn Valley; Megan Woods, Linden; and Taylor Zumstein, Fallbrook. 

The California Farm Bureau Federation works to protect family farms and ranches on behalf of more than 74,000 members statewide and as part of a nationwide network of more than 6.2 million Farm Bureau members.

Contact:
Phone: 916/561-5550
news@cfbf.com

Permission for use is granted, however, credit must be made to the California Farm Bureau Federation when reprinting this item.