WINNIPEG, MANITOBA--(Marketwired - Sept. 23, 2015) - Sharing the success of other farmers is what motivates Cassandra Vickers. After a student co-op placement with Farm Credit Canada, where she got hooked on seeing what receiving a farm loan meant to farm families, she is planning on a career as an agricultural lender. She is now enrolled at the University of Guelph's Ridgetown Campus in the Agriculture Diploma program on her way to someday helping more farm families achieve their dreams.
Vickers is just one of 66 students from across Canada who will receive $1,500 Opportunity Scholarships to enter their first year of post-secondary agricultural education, thanks to the Monsanto Fund. Each of these young people has a different story about experience gained on their family farms, in community involvement, and in high school, and each has chosen a unique path.
"One day I want to go home at the end of my workday and believe that I have made a difference in the agriculture community," the Meaford, ON Grade 12 student wrote in her application. "I believe that agriculture is more than just a business sector, it's a lifestyle that I have proudly been a part of my whole life. It's a lifestyle that I want to continue in and extend to my family in the future."
The 2015 Monsanto Fund Opportunity Scholarship winners are all Grade 12 graduates from farm families who are enrolled in a first-year degree or diploma program in agriculture or an agricultural-related field this fall at a recognized Canadian educational institution.
All applications were reviewed by an independent judging panel comprised of: Robert Adamson, consultant and program director with Pembina Trails School Division; Johanne Ross, Executive Director of Agriculture in the Classroom-Manitoba Inc.; Kelly Green, Communications Director for the Canadian Canola Growers Association; Crystal Jorgenson, Communications Specialist for the Faculty of Agriculture and Food at the University of Manitoba; and Brigitte Burgoyne, Account Manager with ThinkShift Inc. Administered on behalf of the Monsanto Fund by Agriculture in the Classroom-Manitoba Inc. (AITC-M), the scholarship program received 135 applications from across Canada this year.
"I consider myself lucky to have the privilege of reading the applications as part of the judging process," said Johanne Ross, executive director of AITC-M. "No two stories are exactly alike, except for these kids' shared passion for agriculture. It gives me great pleasure to be part of this program and it gives me hope for the future of agriculture."
Contact us for information on the stories of scholarship winners near you. Details on the launch of the 2016 Monsanto Fund Opportunity Scholarship Program will be released in February 2016 and will also be available online at www.monsanto.ca.
About the Monsanto Fund
The Monsanto Fund, the philanthropic arm of the Monsanto Company, is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to strengthening the communities where farmers and Monsanto Company employees live and work. Visit the Monsanto Fund at www.monsantofund.org
About Monsanto Canada
Headquartered in Winnipeg, MB, Monsanto Canada Inc. is part of the larger global Monsanto Company. Monsanto is an agricultural company committed to bringing a broad range of solutions to help nourish our growing world. We produce a variety of seeds ranging from fruits and vegetables to key crops - such as corn, soybeans, canola and cotton - that help farmers produce abundant and nutritious food. We work to find sustainable agriculture solutions that help farmers conserve natural resources, use data to improve farming practices, use water and other important resources more efficiently, and protect their crops from pests and disease. Through programs and partnerships, we collaborate with farmers, researchers, nonprofit organizations, universities and others to help tackle some of the world's biggest challenges.
To learn more about Monsanto, please visit: www.monsanto.ca or follow us on Twitter @MonsantoCda.
NOTE: The complete list of 2015 Monsanto Fund Opportunity Scholarship winners, by province, is included below.
2015 Monsanto Fund Opportunity Scholarship Winners
| BRITISH COLUMBIA | ALBERTA | ||
| Mackenzie Schuurman | Mission, BC | Marigje Bikker | Barrhead, AB |
| Kayla Stump | Malakwa, BC | Katherine Crawford | Didsbury, AB |
| Tianna Groeneveld | Mannville, AB | ||
| Renée Huvenaars | Hays, AB | ||
| Mikaela Klemp | Mayerthorpe, AB | ||
| Katelyn Krupa | Vimy, AB | ||
| Taylor Lassiter | Bassano, AB | ||
| Brennan Munro | Airdrie, AB | ||
| Lowell Nelson | Morrin, AB | ||
| Christine Suominen | Lacombe, AB | ||
| Megan Wanchuk | Boyne Lake, AB | ||
| Kyle Wheeler | Strathmore, AB | ||
| MANITOBA | SASKATCHEWAN | ||
| Tara Frisch | Manitou, MB | Kathryn Aldridge | Kelfield, SK |
| Mackenzie Kozak | Roblin, MB | Lane Carles | Radville, SK |
| Hayley Macaulay | Killarney, MB | Paige Connor | Beechy, SK |
| Christopher Manchur | Gilbert Plains, MB | Alexis DeCorby | Rocanville, SK |
| Carter McKinney | Waskada, MB | Sarah Lechler | Porcupine Plain, SK |
| Bradley McLeod | Mather, MB | Jensen Manners | Lloydminster, SK |
| Katie Meggison | Goodlands, MB | James Manson | Dinsmore, SK |
| Lexus Ostberg | Dominion City, MB | Blayne Nichol | Livelong, SK |
| Kathleen Porteous | Marquette, MB | Teanna Novak | Kuroki, SK |
| Kantara Robertson | Treherne, MB | Sidney Olson | Consul, SK |
| Connor Shirtliff | Starbuck, MB | Michelle Ostafie | Mikado, SK |
| William Sikora | Brandon, MB | Dillan Plews | Carnduff, SK |
| Marianne Sytnyk | Oakburn, MB | Karly Rumpel | Craven, SK |
| Lara Teetaert | Deloraine, MB | Rachelle Smith | Abernethy, SK |
| Kristen Timmerman | Treherne, MB | Kaitlyn Sonmor | Marengo, SK |
| Rebecca Unrau | Boissevain, MB | Joyceline Toews | Glaslyn, SK |
| ONTARIO | QUEBEC | ||
| Brendan Carson | Sunderland, ON | Ariane Bergeron | St-Samuel, QC |
| Kyle Cornelissen | Watford, ON | Véronique Brisson | Ste-Barbe, QC |
| Tyler Dietrich | Desboro, ON | Amélie Laliberté | Leclercville, QC |
| Patrik Dohner | Port Burwell, ON | Laurie Laliberté | Leclercville, QC |
| Danielle Farquharson | Mt. Brydges, ON | Anne-Sophie Paquet | Neuville, QC |
| Elyse Kilbride | Wallaceburg, ON | ||
| Mariann Lobbezoo | Berkeley, ON | MARITIMES | |
| Bailey Pool | Ridgetown, ON | Julia Bland | Avonport, NS |
| Erica Sayles | Paris, ON | Kyle Corsten | Antigonish, NS |
| Cassidy Smith | Berwick, ON | Daniel McCallum | Tabusintac, NB |
| Cassandra Vickers | Meaford, ON | ||
| Genna Wright | Kenilworth, ON |
Contact Information:
Monsanto Canada
(204) 985-1035