ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Agricultural Education Leadership Council (MAELC) recently awarded $40,000 in scholarships for the 2022-2023 school year to students studying Agricultural Education in Minnesota at Southwest Minnesota State University, the University of Minnesota-Crookston, and the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities through both Diversity and Undergraduate scholarship programs.
A severe shortage of high school agriculture teachers exists in Minnesota and nationally. As a result, there is a tremendous need for more students to become licensed to teach agricultural education. The purpose of the Diversity scholarship program is to provide financial support for students from underrepresented groups in the agriculture teacher field. The trend of a more diverse student population attending Minnesota’s schools reinforces the need to recruit and support prospective agricultural education teachers with diverse backgrounds and experiences.
The purpose of the MAELC Undergraduate scholarship program is to award scholarships to undergraduate students studying Agricultural Education with the intent of becoming a licensed agriculture teacher. Minnesota Agricultural Education-Teacher Licensure students who are student teaching between Fall 2022-Spring 2024 were eligible to apply.
“As the number of agriculture teaching positions has increased by 38% in Minnesota since 2010, we continue our efforts to meet the growing demand for individuals entering the profession,” said Sarah Dornink, MAELC Executive Director. “MAELC believes financially supporting students studying Agricultural Education is an investment in a diverse and robust future agriculture teacher workforce. We know teachers are the core to having successful classroom programs in our state, which in turn helps students find pathways to careers in agriculture, food and natural resources.”
Diversity Scholarship Recipients:
| Recipient | University | Award |
| Gina Huhnerkoch | Southwest Minnesota State University | $5,000 |
| Elaina Knott | University of Minnesota-Crookston | $5,000 |
| Hilariia Ponce | University of Minnesota-Twin Cities | $5,000 |
| Cassandra Valdez | University of Minnesota-Twin Cities | $5,000 |
| Emilee Xayanourom | University of Minnesota-Twin Cities | $5,000 |
Undergraduate Scholarship Recipients:
| Recipient | University | Award |
| Kelsey Biel | University of Minnesota-Twin Cities | $2,000 |
| Arica Caughey | University of Minnesota-Crookston | $1,000 |
| Karli Knopf | University of Minnesota-Twin Cities | $2,500 |
| Tiara Malakowsky | University of Minnesota-Crookston | $1,000 |
| Abigail Maunu | University of Minnesota-Crookston | $2,000 |
| Isabelle Patterson | University of Minnesota-Twin Cities | $1,000 |
| Veronica Schwartz | University of Minnesota-Crookston | $1,000 |
| Paige Stuber | University of Minnesota-Twin Cities | $2,500 |
| Cassandra Valdez | University of Minnesota-Twin Cities | $2,000 |
Believing that education is the key to a successful future, MAELC has awarded $787,000 in scholarships over the past 23 years to students interested in becoming an agriculture teacher.
The next deadline to apply for the MAELC Diversity Scholarship is July 1, 2022. Scholarships will be awarded up to $5,000/recipient; applications can be obtained online at https://mn.gov/maelc/scholarships/diversity_scholarship.html
MAELC is a 16-member legislative council that provides leadership to promote and expand agricultural education in Minnesota. The state legislature, agricultural educators, and agriculture industry leaders are all represented on the council.
— Minnesota Agricultural Education Leadership Council
