HARRISBURG, Pa. — Paige Peiffer, a junior at The Pennsylvania State University, was recently recognized with the Susan S. Beshore Memorial Scholarship — a one-time scholarship that honors Susan S. Beshore, a long-time supporter and advocate of the Pennsylvania dairy industry. Supported by the Pennsylvania Dairymen’s Association and Morrissey Insurance, Paige will receive $7,000 to support her undergraduate studies in an academic program that supports the dairy industry.
“The Susan S. Beshore Memorial Scholarship honors a leader who was committed to community service across the dairy industry during her lifetime, and we had a very competitive pool of applicants for this scholarship,” said Dave Smith, Executive Director at the PA Dairymen’s Association. “Especially with June being National Dairy Month and our current work with the Fill A Glass With Hope® campaign to help provide local food banks with fresh milk, it is extremely fitting that we are able to recognize Paige Peiffer with this scholarship. Paige is passionate about serving food-insecure families within her community, and her commitment to the Pennsylvania dairy industry is unwavering.”
The Susan S. Beshore Memorial Scholarship is like the Student Leader Scholarship but has a heightened emphasis on community service and giving back. The scholarship was designed to provide recognition, encouragement, and financial assistance to outstanding students who are committed to community service and enrolled in academic programs that support the dairy industry. Paige was selected based on her community service, academic performance, interest in a dairy-related career, evidence of leadership, character and integrity, and application compliance.
Paige Peiffer is a junior studying animal science at The Pennsylvania State University. Paige is the daughter of Ammon and Brenda Peiffer of Lebanon, Lebanon County. Growing up on a small dairy farm and working on other farms throughout her county, Paige has a wide range of on-farm experience with different cow management systems and calf care procedures. As the 2019-20 Pennsylvania Dairy Princess and an active member of Penn State’s Dairy Science Club, Paige is dedicated to promoting the dairy industry. Her goal is to pursue a career in veterinary medicine, dairy processing or industry relations after graduation.
“Susan S. Beshore was a true agriculturalist, and I am so incredibly honored to be receiving a scholarship in her name. Every single cent of this scholarship will be used to not only continue Susan’s passion of being an advocate for the dairy industry, but also to help fund my education at Penn State University,” Paige shared. “I know that my choice of pursuing a career in the dairy industry is steadfast and unwavering. I will use these next two years of my undergraduate career to focus on personal development to further prepare myself with exposure, experiences, and knowledge so I can serve my community and farmers well.”
In addition to her involvement in the Dairy Science Club, Paige has been active in her community by volunteering at the State College Food Bank and Blessings of Hope in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Through Blessings of Hope, she helps take food donations from various corporations and repackages them into boxes that can be easily utilized within local food banks and more accessible to food insecure communities.
“One of the main reasons why I have really enjoyed this experience is because it directly impacted food insecurity within my own community. I love supporting this organization that has a fun and profound way of bridging the gap between food corporations and food-insecure families,” Paige added. “This experience exposed me to the disconnect the dairy industry sometimes has to consumers who need our products the most. These volunteer opportunities immensely rounded out my knowledge of the agricultural industry and helped me learn the cycle of getting food from farms to tables.”
To help fight hunger throughout the month of June, PA Dairymen’s Association is partnering with Weis Markets, Feeding Pennsylvania and American Dairy Association North East for the Fill A Glass With Hope® campaign. Weis Markets customers can round up their grocery payments at checkout to help fight hunger throughout the month of June statewide. Donations from this campaign will be distributed to local food banks to purchase milk.
To learn more, visit www.padairymens.com.
–Emily Barge, Center for Dairy Excellence
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