2015 Scholarship Winners

2015 Mercer County Farm Bureau Foundation Scholarship Winners

The Mercer County Farm Bureau Foundation awarded $5,000 in scholarships to five students who are dependents of Mercer County Farm Bureau members who plan to benefit agriculture in someway in their future.

Clayton Truman

Clayton Truman is the son of Craig and Renee Truman of Aledo. He will be attending Truman State University where he will major in Agricultural Business/Agricultural Science. Clayton attended Mercer County High School where he was involved in the National Honor Society, Mercer County FFA Chapter, and Key Club. He was the Mercer County FFA Chapter President, Vice – President, and Secretary. Clayton was selected to attend the 2014 Illinois Farm Bureau & Affiliates Youth Conference as well as supervised the students at ACE Camp all four years of high school.

Clayton says, “I am very excited to get to work on the front lines of agricultural business with the American farmer and work together to meet the ever growing demand for more crops. When people work together, they can accomplish anything, and I know that this is no exception.”

 

Austin Jackson

Austin Jackson is the son of Chastity and Chad Jackson of Aledo. He will be attending the University of Iowa and will major in Chemical Engineering. Austin attended Mercer County High School where he was involved in National Honor Society, FFA, Key Club, Student Council, Science Olympiad, Regional Math team, Society for Academic Achievement, cross country, basketball, and track & field.

Austin says, “I believe agriculture is going to evolve in more ways than our planet ever thought possible. In order to feed the nation’s rapidly growing population, advances will need to be made in the fields of genetics and engineering.”

 

Carolyn King

Carolyn is the daughter of Andy and Debbie King of North Henderson. She is currently attending Iowa State University where she is majoring in Agricultural Studies and International Agriculture with a minor in Spanish. Carolyn attended United High School. At Iowa State University, Carolyn is involved in The Navigators and the Honors program.

Carolyn says, “After graduating from Iowa State University with degrees in Agricultural Studies and International Agriculture, I hope to work for an international company that will allow me to put my skills to the test. I want to help people in developing countries build a strong agriculture sector by starting at the local farmer level.”

 

 

 

Adam Lloyd

Adam Lloyd is the son of Tom and Kyle Lloyd of Aledo. He is currently attending Blackhawk College East and majoring in Ag Transfer. He attended Mercer County High School. Adam is an Ag Ambassador, Student Government member, and Student Trustee at Blackhawk East. Adam also represented Mercer County at the Illinois Farm Bureau Young Leaders Ag Quiz bowl competition and has helped with ACE Camp.

Adam says, “My future career as an agriculture teacher will be to educate the students on the most relevant newest technologies used in agriculture. It will be important for students of agriculture to be open minded and willing to try new technologies. As an agriculture teacher it will be my job to honor our past innovations in agriculture and help the agriculture industry strategically plan for the future.”

 

 

 

Rachel Hawk

Rachel Hawk is the daughter of Mark and Shelly Hawk of Aledo. She is currently attending the University of Illinois where she is majoring in Agriculture & Consumer Economics with a concentration in Policy, International Trade & Development. Rachel was very active in FFA. She served as the Section 4 FFA President and was a State FFA Vice-President. In college, Rachel has been involved in Collegiate FFA/PAS, Collegiate Farm Bureau, ACES Council Reporter, and Sigma Alpha.

Rachel says, “Being a supporter of agriculture education, FFA, and 4-H, as well as organizations like the Farm Bureau, will give me the skills and opportunities necessary to positively impact others. If everyone does his or her part professionally and personally, I have no doubt that our industry will continue to grow and change, and succeed at a local, national, and global level.