ALBANY — Three New York high school seniors have received the distinct honor of being named statewide winners of the 2018 New York Farm Bureau Agricultural Youth Scholarship. Each student received district-wide recognition and then competed for one of three statewide scholarships. The students must have a family Farm Bureau membership or a student Farm Bureau membership in order to qualify. A panel of judges selected the winners based on their essay submissions, as well as their applications, which include their community and agricultural engagement.
The first place winner is Laura Littrell of St. Johnsville, NY. She is a member of Montgomery County Farm Bureau in District 8 and will receive a $1,500 scholarship from New York Farm Bureau. Littrell grew up on her family’s dairy farm and is involved with many aspects of the farm’s operation. She also has her own herd of six Holsteins which she enjoys showing and breeding. Littrell is active in 4-H, FFA, New York Junior Holstein Program and serves as the Montgomery County Dairy Princess. She is a senior at Oppenheim-Ephratah-St. Johnsville Central School and plans to attend college at SUNY Cobleskill where she will study agricultural business. Littrell hopes for a career in the dairy industry.
The second place winner is KristiAnn Frank from Vernon, NY. She is a senior at Vernon-Verona-Sherrill High School. Frank represents Oneida County Farm Bureau in District 6. She too grew up on her family’s farm doing everything from counting hay bales to caring for the family’s pigs. She is also active in her school’s FFA program and helped start her school’s first Farm to School Program sourcing local ingredients for student meals. In addition, Frank supports the FFA’s Partners in Active Learning Support (PALS) Program working with elementary students. She plans to continue her education at either SUNY Cobleskill or Morrisville State majoring in Agricultural Business. Long term, she plans to earn a Master’s Degree in Agricultural Education. Frank will receive a $1,200 scholarship from New York Farm Bureau to apply to her education.
The third place winner receiving a $1,000 scholarship is Kathryn Bosley of Malone, NY. She is a senior at Franklin Academy High School and is a member of Franklin County Farm Bureau in District 7. Bosley lives and works on her family’s 160-acre dairy farm and shows Jersey cows at the local, state and national levels. She also shows livestock through 4-H and this year made the state and World Dairy Expo Judging Team. She also currently serves as the Franklin County Dairy Princess.  Bosley plans to have a career in agriculture and will attend either SUNY Cobleskill or Cornell in the fall majoring in Animal Science.
Other District Scholarship winners include:
District 1: Braden Lesch is from Fredonia, NY where he attends Fredonia High School. After he graduates, he plans to attend Ohio State University to study Animal Science.
District 2: Clara Benham is from Henrietta, NY where she attends Honeoye Falls-Lima High School. Upon graduation, she will attend Morrisville State to major in Animal Science.
District 3: Elizabeth Maslyn is from Farmington, NY where she attends Manchester-Shortsville High School. She plans to pursue a degree in Agricultural Science at a New York college or university.
District 5: Philip Brady is from Fayetteville, NY where he attends Fayetteville-Manlius High School. After graduating, he will be attending Iowa State University studying Agricultural Business.
District 9: Hunter Prokop is from Middleburgh, NY where he attends Middleburgh Junior-Senior High School. He will attend Morrisville State in the fall to study Architectural Studies and Design.
District 10: Megan Gilligan is from East Chatham, NY where she attends Chatham High School. Upon graduation, she will attend Cornell to earn a degree in Animal/Dairy Science.
District 11: Emily Ramprashad is from Jamaica, NY and attends John Bowne High School in Queens in New York City. She plans to attend either Delaware Valley University or Cornell to study Animal Science.
–New York Farm Bureau
For more articles out of New York, click here.