LINCOLN, NEB.– The Nebraska Farm Bureau Foundation awarded the Nebraska Rural Radio Foundation Scholarship in Honor of Max & Eric Brown to Amanda Fairley of Fairbury and Catherine Ripp of Bruno.
The $2,000 scholarship awards non-traditional students, age 25 or older, living in Nebraska’s rural communities. Fairley is pursuing a Master of Arts in Educational Administration at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln (UNL). Ripp is pursuing a Master of Applied Science – Agricultural Leadership and Agronomy at UNL.
Fairley is an Agriculture instructor at Southeast Community College – Beatrice. Fairley’s long-term goal is to obtain a Doctoral Degree in Educational Leadership and Higher Education. She strives to provide well educated individuals for the agriculture industry’s workforce.
“I believe in the future of agriculture, and I know that with this education I can make a positive impact on students and agriculture,” Fairley said.
Catherine Ripp is an Agriculture Teacher and FFA Advisor at Lakeview Community Schools in Columbus. Ripp aims to make her school an agricultural STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) center where students have the opportunity to learn futuristic technologies and earn college credit while in high school.
“My overall goal would be to make agriculture relevant, important, and, most of all, exciting to students so they can pursue a career in agriculture and return to their rural Nebraska roots,” Ripp said.
“Both Amanda and Catherine have shown a commitment to rural Nebraska and agriculture,” said Megahn Schafer, executive director of the Nebraska Farm Bureau Foundation. “They will each impact hundreds of students, creating a positive and lasting ripple effect in rural Nebraska communities.
The mission of the Nebraska Farm Bureau Foundation is to engage youth, educators, and the general public to promote an understanding of the vital importance of agriculture in the lives of all Nebraskans. The Nebraska Farm Bureau Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. For more information about the Nebraska Farm Bureau Foundation, visit www.nefbfoundation.org.
