The deadline to submit an application for the 2024 Women in Agribusiness (WIA) Student Scholarship Award is Friday, May 31, 2024. Recipients of the award will receive complimentary registration for the three-day WIA Summit, which will be held this year September 24-26 in Denver, Colorado, at the Hyatt Regency Denver.
The scholarship gives young women in the ag sector the opportunity to make important industry connections, see the many career options available in the industry, and learn about the trends and issues facing agriculture today. The WIA Summit, now in its 13th year, brings together nearly 1,000 agribusiness professionals from across the ag value chain for networking, knowledge-sharing and career-building.
Applicants for the WIA Student Scholarship Award must be full-time junior or senior level undergraduate, graduate or doctoral candidate students attending an accredited college or university who have shown a strong interest in developing a career in ag. Along with the three-day pass to attend the premier WIA Summit, recipients receive:
- Three nights shared lodging at a hotel (if needed)
- Meals provided at the event
- 1-year WIA Membership; providing access to exclusive conference content and member directory
- Special-invite student luncheon to encourage initial introductions
- Student workshop event with industry executives
Also, each student is sponsored by an industry-leading company, such as ADM, Nuveen or Wilbur-Ellis, and they will be connected with a representative from that company to facilitate mentorship, guidance and the sharing of industry insight.
The WIA Student Scholarship Program, now in its tenth year, has provided this opportunity for nearly 300 students, with many securing internships and career-defining jobs with high-profile agribusinesses thanks to their attendance. Said former scholarship winners:
“The connections [made at WIA Summit] allowed me to learn more about different paths in agribusiness while I was still exploring it as a student,” said Stefanie Baily who attended the Summit in 2019 as a graduate student at Duke University. “Not only did the women talk to me about their experience, they were also more than happy to make introductions to people in their network. I have reached into that network in my current role to help my clients learn more about agribusiness in the United States and to find experts in different sectors.”
Haylee VanScoy, who is now director of grain merchandising and risk management for Heritage Cooperative out of Delaware, Ohio, and former WIA student scholar, said, “It is not very often that you have the opportunity to have this many women in the industry in one place.… the amount of support and encouragement felt throughout this Summit was second to none. As an industry often dominated by men, this experience has not only shown me what it takes to be a successful woman leader in the industry, it has also provided me the resources to connect and learn directly from them.”
"I have never felt so empowered as a woman in the industry,” said Olivia Redmond, University of Idaho student studying crop management and 2023 WIA Summit attendee. “I now feel even more that I can be successful within my sector thanks to everyone that I met last week.”
Each year, nearly three dozen corporate sponsors sign on as WIA Student Scholarship sponsors to help bring this program to fruition. These companies have included the likes of Cargill, Farmer Mac, Manulife, Wells Fargo and more (see the 2023 list here).
This unique opportunity provides an enriching and exceptional experience for full-time agricultural students and highlights the commitment of these sponsors to developing the industry's future leaders.
Inquiries about student sponsorships should be sent to WIA Event Director Carrie Vita at [email protected].