After Lydia Johnson saw a poster announcing FFA scholarship opportunities hanging on the door of her agricultural education classroom at Southeast Polk High School in Pleasant Hill, Iowa, the FFA member went home and applied.
“A couple of hours behind a computer to talk about how I spent my high school career and how it shaped me was a small investment in the rest of my future,” Johnson says.
Her investment paid off. Johnson was awarded a $1,500 Bayer Fund Grow Ag Leaders scholarship as a senior in high school, then again during her sophomore, junior and senior years of college at Iowa State University.
Taking the Next Step
Johnson, who is majoring in agricultural communications and journalism, says the scholarship funds she received help supplement the cost of her education and allowed her to pursue extracurricular opportunities.
“The cool thing about the scholarships is they alleviated a lot of the financial burden of college and enabled me to really get involved in school,” she says.
Over the past three years, Johnson has served as an agricultural communications peer mentor, president of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Student Council, and ambassador for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Johnson also completed several internships, including one in Washington, D.C., with an agriculture policy news service this past summer, and she plans to travel to Ghana as part of a study abroad program at the end of 2023.
“I’ve been able to try a lot of different things and meet a lot of different people,” Johnson says. “The freedom provided through FFA scholarships has allowed me to really go where my interests are.”
Funding the Future
The National FFA Organization awards more than $2.5 million in scholarships annually, ranging from $500 to $10,000. Elizabeth Sendelweck, National FFA program manager, says members pursuing any form of education after high school can apply.
“Scholarships aren’t just for students pursuing four-year degrees,” she adds.
The new scholarship vendor FFA is using this year has streamlined the application process. FFA members and alumni can apply for multiple scholarships within a single application, Sendleweck says.
In Johnson’s case, completing a simple reapplication process each year enabled her to receive a scholarship multiple years in a row. Her advice to those interested in applying is simple.
“You’ve done all the cool things already,” she says. “All you have to do is put them on paper.”
High school FFA seniors and college students are eligible to apply for FFA scholarships. The National FFA Scholarship program includes several $10,000 scholarships and $5,000 trade scholarships. The application process opens Nov. 1, 2023. Visit ffa.org/participate/grants-and-scholarships/scholarships/ to learn more.
