Ag Trade Association Awards Give $117,000 in College Scholarships
July 5, 2017 UnitedAg, a member-owned agricultural trade association representing more than 650 organizations in California and Arizona, announced it has awarded a record $117,000 in college scholarships to 58 children and one spouse from its member-affiliated agricultural families statewide.
Provided through UnitedAg’s Agribusiness Education Foundation (AEF), the 2017 awards raise the organization’s historical scholarship total to over $1.3 million since AEF was founded in 2000. To date, 719 agricultural family members have received UnitedAg’s assistance in achieving their educational goals and aspirations. Previous UnitedAg scholarship winners have earned degrees and taken their place in management, government, market development, and foreign trade, with many working in agribusiness.
“UnitedAg created the Agribusiness Education Foundation with the conviction that supporting the higher-education aspirations of our members, their employees, and their families helps ensure a brighter and stronger future for the agricultural industry, and our society as a whole,” said Anthony Vollering, Chairman of the UnitedAg Board of Directors. “We’re proud of our contributions to the education and lives of the hundreds of students we’ve supported over the years and of the excellence and commitment demonstrated by this year’s record-high 59 scholarship recipients.”
Based on both merit and need, this year’s scholarship awards range in amount from $500 per individual to $8,000 for this year’s recipient of the Maurice McMillan Scholarship, Katherine Miller, whose UnitedAg affiliation is with the Saticoy Lemon Association in Santa Paula. The scholarship funds are for use during the 2017-2018 academic year.
UnitedAg is proud to announce the following scholarship recipients:
| Scholarship Recipient | College | Member Company | City |
| Nathalie Marie Aceves | California State University Fresno | River Ranch Farms/ Dairy | Hanford |
| Ellington Adair | Lee University | SupHerb Farms | Turlock |
| Marcos Amaro | College of the Sequoias | Pacific Ag Consulting | Visalia |
| Nayeli Amaro | San Francisco State University | Al Pak Labor | Soledad |
| Nick Batterman | University of California, Santa Barbara | Blanco Farms, LLC | Salinas |
| Sylvia Benitez | Cal State Stanislaus | Cal-Western Farming Company | Visalia |
| Betzy Bras-Gonzalez | University of California Hastings College of the Law | Rancho Guadalupe, LLC | Santa Maria |
| August Brigantino | University of California, San Diego | True Leaf Farms | Salinas |
| Hannah Buckley | Brigham Young University | Pro Pacific Fresh | Durham |
| Jennifer Burton | Azusa Pacific University | Ippolito International LP | Salinas |
| Salvador Castaneda | University of California, Davis | UnitedAg | Salinas |
| Rachel Costa | Cal Poly San Luis Obispo | Foothill Packing | Salinas |
| Christopher Curiel | Cal Poly San Luis Obispo | Babe Farms, Inc. | Santa Maria |
| Mariana De Leon Dominguez | Harvard College | Babe Farms Inc. | Santa Maria |
| Nancy Delgado | University of Kansas School of Medicine | Ventura Pacific Company | Ventura |
| Tanya Dimas-Guillen | Cal State University, Dominguez Hills | Mann Packing | Salinas |
| Patrick Dotsy | Cal Poly San Luis Obispo | Leavens Ranches, LLC | Santa Paula |
| Peyton Fernandez | California Polytechnic State University | GF Farms | Porterville |
| Beatriz Garcia | California State University- Fresno | Dover Dairy Farms | Hanford |
| Venissa Garcia | California State University – Fresno | Nichols Farms | Hanford |
| Maria Garcia Garcia | University of California, Santa Barbara | Rancho Sisquoc | Santa Maria |
| Oscar Garcia-Medina | California State University- Fresno | Dover Dairy Farms | Hanford |
| Michaela Gurrola | Arizona State University | Pacific International Marketing | Salinas |
| Spencer Hyosaka | Monterey Peninsula College | Pacific International Marketing | Salinas |
| Ben Lascano | University of Southern California | Associated Feed and Supply Co. | Turlock |
| Julie Lascano | California State University Stanislaus | Associated Feed and Supply Co. | Turlock |
| Sophia Lazzerini | Sonoma State University | Ocean Mist Farms | Castroville |
| Veronica Leon Vega | California State University, Monterey Bay | Braga Ranch | Madera |
| Candice Lopez | California State University Fresno | Cowlifornia Dairy, LLC | Hanford |
| Sarah McClean | Seattle University | Ocean Mist Farms | Castroville |
| Jenny McCluskey | Arizona State University | Tehama Angus Ranch | Gerber |
| Miguel Mendez | Grambling State University | California-Arizona Growers Association | Salinas |
| Daniel Meza | California State University, Monterey Bay | Sakai Farms, LLC | Watsonville |
| Joel Meza | San Jose State University | Sakai Farms, LLC | Watsonville |
| Miguel Meza | Cabrillo College | Sakai Farms, LLC | Watsonville |
| Katherine Miller* | Cal Poly San Luis Obispo | Saticoy Lemon Association | Santa Paula |
| Victoria Miller | California Lutheran University | Saticoy Lemon Association | Santa Paula |
| Casey Muth | University of Oregon | Arroyo Grande Mushroom Farm | Arroyo Grande |
| Denver Noell | College of the Sequoias | Nichols Farms | Hanford |
| Morgan Noonan | Liberty University | Plant Sciences, Inc. | Watsonville |
| Parker Noonan | Santa Barbara City College | Plant Sciences, Inc. | Watsonville |
| Taylor Noonan | Liberty University School of Law | Plant Sciences, Inc. | Watsonville |
| Diana Pedraza | Allan Hancock College | West Coast Packing | Santa Maria |
| Victor Penera | San Diego State University | Braga Ranch | Madera |
| Vanessa Azucena Pinon | Allan Hancock College | West Cost Packing | Santa Maria |
| Xochilt A. Puga | California State University Fresno | Main Street Produce | Santa Maria |
| Andrea Ramirez-Maldonado | California State University Monterey Bay | Pacific International Marketing | Salinas |
| Eduardo Rodriguez | California State Polytechnic Pomona | Ocean Breeze International/ MOBIS | Carpinteria |
| Patrice Rodriguez | California State University, Monterey Bay | Green Rubber Kennedy Ag | Spreckels |
| Sandy Rubio | West Hills Community College | The Neil Jones Food Company – TOMA-TEK | Firebaugh |
| Sierra Slighton | Feather River College | Pro Pacific Fresh | Durham |
| Madeline Stehly | Millersville University of Pennsylvania | Nick Stehly Farms Inc. | Valley Center |
| Thomas Stehly | Cal Poly San Luis Obispo | Nick Stehly Farms Inc. | Valley Center |
| Katelyn Stelljes | Cal State Chico | Dura Plastic Products, Inc. | Beaumont |
| Alicia Toche | Allan Hancock College | West Coast Packing | Santa Maria |
| Rocio Velazquez | California State University, Sacramento | Christopher Ranch | Gilroy |
| Elvia Velazquez | University of California, Davis | Christopher Ranch | Gilroy |
| Amy Zamora | Undecided | Main Street Produce | Santa Maria |
| Jairi Osiris Zurita Lita | California State, Northridge | West Coast Packing | Santa Maria |
* Maurice McMillan Memorial Scholarship Award Recipient is the top scholarship awarded each year