The Animal Agriculture Alliance has announced the winners of the 2021 College Aggies Online scholarship competition. Students from Oklahoma State University, South Dakota State University, West Texas A&M University, Kansas State University, University of Florida, and University of Wisconsin-River Falls took home the top prizes as they were named overall winners of this year’s nine-week program. The Alliance awarded more than $20,000 in scholarships to students and clubs this year. 

College Aggies Online is an initiative of the Alliance that connects college students from across the country industry experts and social media-savvy farmers to engage on social media about current and emerging issues facing farmers and ranchers and telling personal stories. In the club division, students host farm tours, campus events, food drives, and more to engage with their peers about agriculture.

“This year we had 160 individuals and 19 collegiate clubs enroll in the competition, representing 56 colleges and 34 states,” said Emily Solis, Alliance communications specialist. “Students engaged online and reached more than 4 million people over the course of the nine-week program, and collegiate clubs connected with about 5,200 campus and community members about agriculture through their hosted events! This next generation of advocates for agriculture is already making waves and helping to positively shape the general public’s perception of agriculture.”

The individual winners are:

  • First place, $2,500 scholarship: Alexis Main, Oklahoma State University and Sydney Mitchell, South Dakota State University
  • Second place, $1,000 scholarship: Kylie Scott, West Texas A&M University and Sydney Garrett, Kansas State University
  • Third place, $500 scholarship: Jaqueline Aenlle, University of Florida and Katerina Kolzow, University of Wisconsin-River Falls

The club winners are:

  • First place, $2,500 scholarship: Louisiana State University Les Voyageurs
  • Second place, $1,000 scholarship: New Mexico State University Dairy Science Club
  • Third place, $500 scholarship: Modesto Junior College Young Farmers 

Winners will be recognized at the Alliance’s 2022 Stakeholders Summit, set for May 11–12 in Kansas City, Missouri. The Alliance also named Jacqueline Aenlle the “Social Media Rock Star” for entering the best social media post of the competition. Throughout the competition, students earned mini scholarships for having the best social media posts, blog posts, infographics, and more. Clubs received awards for hosting the best events on their campuses or online.

CAO would not be possible without the generous support of sponsors. 2021 sponsors include: Dairy Management Inc., CHS Foundation, National Pork Industry Foundation, Iowa Pork Producers Association, National Corn Growers Association, Bayer, National Turkey Federation, Institute for Feed Education and Research, Domino’s Pizza Inc., Ohio Poultry Association, Culvers Franchising System, and Pennsylvania Beef Council.

To learn more about College Aggies Online, click here. 

Source: Animal Agriculture Alliance