“A Great Hand in Farming” Ag Scholarship
This scholarship is a contribution to the youth of rural areas who are inspired to seek opportunities in agriculture. We feel agriculture surrounds us all in some way either directly or indirectly and we want to help individuals become successful in their agricultural goals. Our 2013 scholarship recipients are:
Wendy Anderson
$1,000 “A Great Hand in Farming” Ag Scholarship
From: Bird Island
College Plans: Augsburg College
Major: Music Business
Goal: My goal is to be successful. I want to make my parents proud and make them feel like they succeeded in raising me. I want to have a career that I love and enjoy and that can also change someone else’s life in some way, shape, or form.
What community or school activity has been the most meaningful: I have been in 4H for 13 wonderful years of my life. Without this program, I would be nothing. I probably would not have developed efficient interviewing/speaking skills. I also would not have been able to work with different age groups, young and old, and be able to bond with them by helping them with 4H projects or fun activities. 4H has given me skills that I will need in the future. 4H exists to create leaders in this world who use their head, hearts, hands, and even their health to guide them in a successful direction. I have gained so many connections throughout this organization. In all honesty, I probably would not have been in an organization like FFA, which has strengthened my skills even further, if I had not been in 4H. The people I have interacted with in 4H have inspired me to be the best that I can be. I will use the skills I learned to help further me in the world of business in order for me to interact with others to successfully complete the task at hand. I have been dreading the day in which my membership in 4H will come to an end, but I hope to be able to be involved with the organization when the time is right.
Connor McNamara
$500 “A Great Hand in Farming” Ag Scholarship
From: Bird Island
College Plans: NDSU
Major: Agronomy
Goal: My goals in life are to attend and graduate college at NDSU in Fargo with a degree in agronomy. I will later use my degree to its full potential and help out my local agricultural community. My lifetime goal has always been to come back and run the family farm with my family and be successful at everything that I do.
What community or school activity has been the most meaningful: The organization that has left the biggest impact on my personal and career development would be FFA. FFA has taught me that hard work and dedication really does pay off. Over the years, I have participated in several events in the local FFA chapter. One of these events that I really enjoyed was the pancake breakfast. Waking up early in the morning and serving the community breakfast was well worth the loss of sleep and a whole lot of fun!
Andy McNamara Memorial Scholarship
This Scholarship is in memory of Andrew “Andy” McNamara, a Renville County farm boy who had the desire to be involved in production agriculture. He thoroughly enjoyed the outdoors and was concerned for the environment. Andy is missed by all those who knew his real passions. Our 2013 scholarship recipients are:
Alec Marxen
$2,000 Andy McNamara Memorial Scholarship
From: Bird Island
College Plans: University of Wisconsin – River Falls
Major: Agricultural Business
Goal: I plan to start a career in the agriculture industry in the Bird Island area that provides me with opportunities to advance to a management/supervisor position. I also plan to take over my family’s farm when my Dad retires.
What community or school activity has been the most meaningful: I feel that FFA has been the most meaningful to my personal and career development. FFA gave me the opportunity to further my knowledge about agriculture and better my public speaking skills which will be both instrumental since I am pursuing a career in agriculture. FFA also involves lots of volunteer work and fundraisers which I feel are very important because these things require dedication and commitment while giving me an opportunity to give back to the community. FFA has also created relationships that I feel will last a lifetime.
Raquel Amberg
$1,000 Andy McNamara Memorial Scholarship
From: Bird Island
College Plans: South Dakota State University – Brookings
Major: Agri-Business
Goal: My goal is to go to SDSU and finish my 4 years of education there. I plan to major in Agri-business and minor in wildlife and fisheries. After I finish my education, I hope to come back to Olivia and help my Dad farm and soon take over the family farm.
What community or school activity has been the most meaningful: The most meaningful things are my Dance Team and FFA. My Dance Team is like a family and we stick together. Dance is something that I can do to get my stress out. It is something I have a love and passion for. Dance has made me learn how to become a leader and a role model. FFA is going to help me develop my career because it is teaching me things I need to learn for what I want to do. FFA is also really fun. It’s good to have fun while you’re working and with FFA you can work, learn and have a blast.