The dairy checkoff has awarded 12 academic scholarships to students enrolled in programs that emphasize dairy and who have shown potential to become future dairy leaders.
The National Dairy Promotion and Research Board (NDB), through Dairy Management Inc., which manages the national dairy checkoff, annually awards $2,500 scholarships to 11 students. In addition, the NDB awards a $3,500 James H. Loper Jr. Memorial Scholarship to one outstanding scholarship recipient.
Eligible majors include journalism, communications/public relations, marketing, business, economics, nutrition, food science, animal science and agriculture education. Scholarship criteria include academic achievement, a career interest in a dairy-related discipline, along with demonstrated leadership, initiative and integrity.
Darcy Heltzel, an Iowa State University student who is majoring in food science, earned the James H. Loper Jr. Memorial Scholarship.
Students earning $2,500 scholarships are: Katie Hebdon (University of Idaho), Mary Lewandowski (University of Wisconsin-Green Bay), Anthony Agueda (California State University-Fresno), Sarah Hagenow (University of Minnesota-Twin Cities), Sienna Mahaffy (Oklahoma State University), Irene Nielsen (Iowa State University), Kylie Konyn (University of Wisconsin-Madison), Brianna Meyer (University of Wisconsin-Madison), Sara Kennedy (Penn State University-University Park), Jessemy Sharp (South Dakota State University) and Cydney Stables (Graceland University).