A very surprised and deserving Templeton High School student received a $20,000 scholarship Wednesday afternoon from a group of agriculture community leaders dedicated to serving youth in ag.
The second annual James W. Brabeck Youth Legacy Fund, in honor of former CEO of Farm Supply Jim Brabeck, was awarded to Ashley Rosilez.
"We feel very strongly about helping kids and making sure they have opportunities to go on and do things and that's very much in the like of what Jim started," James W. Brabeck Youth Legacy Fund Chair Todd Ventura said.
The scholarship is open to high school students exhibiting a livestock, industrial arts, or horticulture project at the California Mid-State Fair and the fair is where the group is able to fundraise for the scholarship.
Last year's inaugural scholarship was awarded at the fair to Isaac Lopez, but since this year's fair and live stock auction is in limbo because of the pandemic the scholarship was awarded during a video-conference via Zoom.
"I've been in 4-H and I have friends in FFA and it's just nice knowing I have people around me that are here to help us and to see us through beyond high school," Rosilez said.
The 4-H SLO County Ambassador plans to attend Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts, major in biosciences and become a veterinarian. Rosilez said her 4-H experience led her down this path and now to a $20,000 scholarship.
"When Jim {Brabeck} set up this fund, he was looking for young people that would continue to lead in the field of agriculture and were able to talk about the values of being part of a group like 4-H, and {Rosilez} was the top one," Dee Lacey said. Lacey is a California Mid-State Fair board member who served on the scholarship selection committee.
Organizers hope the scholarship, which is a fund of the Community Foundation San Luis Obispo County, will encourage more young people to get interested in agriculture.
During the Zoom call, it was announced Lopez, last year's scholarship recipient, has chosen to attend Cal Poly after being accepted to numerous colleges and become an agriculture teacher.
