NYFB Ag Youth Scholarship Winners Announced

Two New York high school seniors have received the distinct honor of being named statewide winners of the 2022 New York Farm Bureau Agricultural Youth Scholarship. Each student received district-wide recognition and then competed for one of two 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 included their community and agricultural engagement.

The first-place winner is Joseph DelConte from Oswego, NY. He is a member of the Oswego County Farm Bureau in District 6 and received a $3,000 scholarship from New York Farm Bureau. Joseph is a student at Oswego High School and plans to attend Cornell University to major in Plant Science with the goal of working in the plant breeding field. He has been active in his school; he co-founded the Oswego Ag Club where he served as President. His school activities also included president of the school’s Environmental Club, member of the varsity bowling team, varsity track & field team, and National Honor Society. Joseph has been involved in the Oswego County Fair, 4-H and his church’s junior missions committee.

The second-place winner is Lauren Chuhta from Cambridge, NY where she is a member of the Washington County Farm Bureau in District 8. Lauren received a $2,000 scholarship from New York Farm Bureau. She is a senior at Greenwich Junior-Senior High School.  Lauren plans to attend the College of Agriculture & Life Science at Cornell University to major in Global Development with the goal of being involved in diplomacy or scientific communication & journalism. During high school, she has been active in Greenwich FFA, Future Business Leaders of America, the school’s band and jazz band, varsity lacrosse, varsity soccer and National Honor Society. Lauren has also been involved in many community service activities.

District winners receive a cash award and a gift from the New York Farm Bureau Promotion & Education Program. The other district scholarship winners include:

District 1: Miranda Nickerson is from Clymer, NY in Chautauqua County. Miranda attends high school in the Corry Area School District. She plans to attend Cornell University to major in Animal Science with the goal of being a veterinarian.

District 2: Shea Masse is from Lockport, NY in Niagara County. Shea attends Akron High School. She plans to attend either Cornell University or SUNY Oswego to major in Agricultural Sciences with the goal of having a career in agricultural education.

District 3: Mark Freier is from Seneca Falls, NY in Seneca County. Mark attends the Finger Lakes Christian School. He plans to attend LeTourneau University to major in Mechanical Engineering with the goal of developing innovative ways to improve agriculture using technology.

District 4: Jacob Doyle is from Hammondsport, NY in Steuben County. Jacob attends Hammondsport High School. He plans to attend the University of Buffalo to major in Mechanical Engineering with the goal of using his engineering education to develop more eco-friendly farm equipment and more efficient methods of farming.

District 5: Morgan Hodge is from Norwich, NY in Chenango County. Morgan attends Unadilla Valley High School. She plans to attend SUNY Cobleskill or University of Connecticut to major in Animal Science/Pre-vet with the goal of being a veterinarian.

District 7: Katelynn Hocking is from Gouverneur, NY in St. Lawrence County. Katelynn attends Gouverneur High School. She plans to attend SUNY Cobleskill to major in Therapeutic Horsemanship with the goal of being involved in the equine industry.

District 9: Autumn Madugno is from Deposit, NY in Delaware County. Autumn attends Bainbridge Guilford High School. She plans to attend SUNY Cobleskill to major in Animal Science with the goal of being involved in the farming industry.

District 10: Annette Prezzano is from Red Hook, NY in Dutchess County. Annette attends Stissing Mountain Junior-Senior High School. She/he plans to attend SUNY Cobleskill to major in Animal Science with the goal of being an agricultural teacher.

District 11: Kieran Schug from Blue Point, NY on Long Island. Kieran attends Bayport-Blue Point High School. He plans to attend Pennsylvania State University to major in Animal Science with the goal of traveling to an underdeveloped area of the world to assist with setting up a more sustainable food system.