Lethbridge & District Exhibition and Rotary Club of Lethbridge East Announce 3rd Annual $10,000 Agricultural Scholarship Award(s)

Lethbridge, Alberta – Lethbridge & District Exhibition and Rotary Club of Lethbridge East announced today the third-year details for the Agricultural Scholarship Award for $10,000 for at least one Lethbridge and District’s top undergraduate agricultural student.

The Agricultural Scholarship Award is to further recognize the importance of agriculture in our community by supporting local students in their pursuit of an agricultural career. Agriculture and agribusiness in southern Alberta are multibillion dollar industries and the reason our community has weathered the economic impact of COVID-19 more successfully than other areas in Alberta. By continuing to support this Agriculture Scholarship you can help ensure the future success of the agriculture industry in southern Alberta.

Thanks to the successful fund-raising events in the past two years and the generosity of our sponsors we will award at least one $10,000 scholarship in 2021. Due to the uncertainties caused by COVID-19, the number of scholarships awarded will be dependent on the success of our fundraising activities over the next month or so.

Eligibility

• This scholarship will be presented to a student who has completed at least 2 full years (60 credit hrs) of training at a recognized post-secondary institution in agriculture or in a related field with substantive and documented agricultural content. This could include graduate students pursuing post-graduate studies in 2021.

• The applicant must either be a legal resident of southern Alberta or have lived in southern Alberta for seven of the past 10 years. Southern Alberta includes: the counties of Lethbridge, Taber, Warner, Forty Mile, Cardston, Pincher Creek, Ranchlands, Willow Creek, Cypress, Newell, Vulcan and all municipalities within these counties (eg. Lethbridge, Brooks, Medicine Hat, Municipality of Crowsnest Pass; and Blood (Kanai) and Piikani First Nations.

• Rotarians, Rotaractors, and their immediate family members (parent, spouse, sibling, child, grandchild, nephew, niece, uncle, aunt) are not eligible to apply.

• Applicant eligibility will be determined by the Scholarship Adjudication Committee whose decision will be final.

Criteria

• In addition to high academic achievement in agriculture and/or an agriculture related discipline, application must include significant evidence of community service and leadership. Experience in agricultural enterprises and/or organizations/societies such as 4H should be elucidated.

• Applicants should also be familiar with the activities of Rotary International and be able to explain how their professional goals align with Rotary principles www.rotary.org.

Applications:

Applications must include the following:

1. Completed Scholarship Application Form

2. Cover letter that describes the applicant’s academic interests, achievements, community contributions, leadership experience and career aspirations (500 words or less).

3. Post-secondary transcripts up to January 2021 (scanned as PDF) or arrange to have institution forward transcripts to wlindwall49@gmail.com

4. Resumé detailing academic, work, and community service history
5. Names and contact information of three qualified references (from post-secondary institution and community leaders)

6. Please arrange for your three references to send their confidential letters of reference directly to the address below by January 31st .

Application documents should be entirely in Word (*.docx) format and emailed to Dr. Wayne Lindwall: wlindwall49@gmail.com by 31 January 2021.

Application Deadline

Complete applications must be received by 31 January 2021. Applications received after this date will NOT be considered.

Adjudication Process

The Scholarship Adjudication Committee will consist of at least three (3) members from the Rotary Club of Lethbridge East and/or Lethbridge Exhibition Park. Candidates will be short-listed based on their written applications and the successful scholarship recipients will be selected based on a formal, video conference interview with the Scholarship Adjudication Committee whose decision shall be final.

For more information on Scholarship Applications contact Dr. Wayne Lindwall wlindwall49@gmail.com or phone (403) 388-4253.

Lethbridge & District Exhibition is committed to bringing Lethbridge and the Southern Alberta region together through Agriculture, Entertainment and Commerce. As the region continues to evolve and grow, our ability to adapt to the changing environment reflects that commitment.