The Turlock Chamber of Commerce Ag Committee hosted the 14th Annual Ag Scholarship Luncheon on Monday at the Stanislaus County Fairgrounds Turf Club.
The annual event honors local high school seniors who plan on enrolling in agriculture programs in college, and provide them with scholarships to help reach those educational goals.
18 students from the area were awarded scholarships totaling $20,000, including six from Turlock.
-Turlock High School: Jelena Bravo, Matthew Olivera, Kayli Perry, and Trey Smith
-Pitman High School: Sheyenne Sousa and Tim Truax
-Livingston High School: Fabian Garcia, Stephanie Gonzalez and Stephanie Land
-Denair High School: Sean Anderson, Katelynn Lawson and Holley McDiffett
-Hughson High School: Helen Barnes and Kaleb Woody
-Hilmar High School: Quinn Fonseca and Trey Johnston
-Waterford High School: Kevin Bonner and Stephany Celio
Over the past 14 years, the Chamber Ag Committee has provided 223 students with scholarships totaling $167,800, with another $90,000 donated to various educational activities, including the 4-H Farmyard Experience at the Stanislaus County Fair.
The sold-out luncheon had 350 industry supporters, students and their families and featured guest speeches from Louie A. Brown, Jr. of Kahn, Soares, & Conway, LLP and 2007 Alumni Speaker David Jones.
“The success of the luncheon is a tribute to the outstanding support of area businesses and loyal sponsors that participate year after year and who believe that the future of agriculture lies in the hands of our youth,” said Turlock Chamber of Commerce CEO Sharon Silva.
