Chobani Scholars Selected
November 27, 2024
The Chobani Scholars program has awarded a total of $80,000鈥痠n scholarships to four 果冻传媒麻豆社 students who are pursuing careers in agriculture, including its first two recipients from the College of Engineering.
Chobani Scholars awards $20,000 scholarships distributed over four years, granting priority to students from the Magic Valley who intend to pursue a career in food production and the dairy industry and may not have the financial means to attend college on their own.
Chobani, the maker of America鈥檚 No. 1 yogurt brand, operates one of the largest yogurt manufacturing facilities in the country, located in Twin Falls, and has offered the scholarships to U聽of聽I students from the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) since 2018. This year鈥檚 cohort has been expanded to include students from a variety of degree fields connected to agriculture and food production, including students from the College of Engineering.
鈥淜udos to Chobani for stepping up and working with us to develop this impactful program that lifts gifted students, Idaho agriculture and the state鈥檚 important dairy sector,鈥� CALS Dean Michael Parrella said. 鈥淭his is an ideal partnership between academia and industry that鈥檚 established a pipeline of creative minds to fill in-demand positions in agribusiness while expanding opportunities for Idahoans.鈥�
Of the students in the first Chobani Scholars cohort, who earned their bachelor鈥檚 degrees in the spring of 2023, two are currently in their second year of veterinary school at Washington State University, one is selling John Deere farming equipment, one is a reproductive specialist for a dairy genetics company and one is a U聽of聽I graduate student studying dairy science.
鈥淐hobani鈥檚 recognition of the collaboration between agriculture and engineering is a testament to the industry鈥檚 leadership in food production, sustainability and resource management,鈥� said Suzie Long, dean of the College of Engineering. 鈥淭hese scholarships maximize our students鈥� ability to contribute to innovations that will change the way we think about our food, our health and our world.鈥�
The new cohort brings the total number of U聽of聽I Chobani Scholarships to 25.
About the 2024 Chobani Scholars
Jack DeJong鈥痮f Wendell鈥痠s an agricultural economics major with an emphasis on agribusiness. 鈥淎griculture and the food industry are extremely important to the economy of Idaho. The agricultural and food industries of Idaho are large contributors to the economy in the form of jobs, revenue, taxes and exports. I hope that by earning my degree in agricultural economics I can help sustain the agricultural industry in our area. There are so many avenues that my degree could lead me toward. Farming, dairy, banking, commodity sales and risk management are just a few of them. I want to explore all my options, and I believe attending 果冻传媒麻豆社 will be the best place to prepare me for my future in agriculture.鈥�
Megan Taber鈥痮f Shoshone is a mechanical engineering major with a minor in animal science.鈥�淭he Chobani Scholarship enables me to prioritize my time in favor of my education. Growing up on my family鈥檚 dairy and crop farm, the intimate realities of farming are an intrinsic aspect of my life. I was drawn to engineering through experiences with heavy equipment on the farm. I want to be a part of the new era of advancement in ag machinery and the automotive industry. I am a member of the U聽of聽I Clean Snowmobile Challenge Team and am currently leading a project for implementing a vehicle emissions control strategy on our competition sled to ultimately reduce the emissions output of our machine.鈥�
Tori Albritton鈥痮f鈥疐iler鈥痠s a mechanical engineering major. 鈥淏efore joining a robotics team and competing in the global nonprofit robotics program FIRST Robotics, I did not believe that I had a place within agriculture. I grew up on a small farm. I know the life. But I鈥檇 never successfully kept a garden alive and have always been too queasy to go into veterinary medicine. Robotics might not be the typical route for agriculture, but鈥痠t鈥檚鈥痺hat sparked my interest in mechanical engineering to pave the way for innovation in agriculture and to continue allowing agriculturalists to feed the rest of the population. As a鈥痜irst-generation鈥痗ollege student, the only way for me to attend college has been through sheer grit and determination. Every late night鈥疘鈥檝e鈥痺orked and opportunities like the Chobani Scholarship have allowed me to continue to pave a pathway for not just my own future, but also for my younger siblings. As I continue my education, my driving force is knowing that I will one day get to join the 2% that feeds the other 98% of the nation, but from an engineering perspective.鈥�
Kaycie Theurer鈥痮f Buhl is majoring in agricultural education. 鈥淲atching my ag teacher throughout the years, I discovered that I have a passion for advocating for agriculture. I finalized my decision when I got the opportunity to do an ag in the classroom lesson with my local third graders. There were about 100 kids and watching the way they asked questions and got involved made me realize I want to do this for the rest of my life. Honestly, it's sort of scary going into this field, but I know that's why I need to do it. Now more than ever, our society needs to be reminded where their food comes from, and that鈥檚 why ag education is so important. I hope to continue bringing agriculture into society one student at a time.鈥�
About the 果冻传媒麻豆社
The 果冻传媒麻豆社, home of the Vandals, is Idaho鈥檚 land-grant, national research university. From its residential campus in Moscow, U of I serves the state of Idaho through educational centers in Boise, Coeur d鈥橝lene and Idaho Falls, nine research and Extension centers, plus Extension offices in 42 counties. Home to more than 12,000 students statewide, U of I is a leader in student-centered learning and excels at interdisciplinary research, service to businesses and communities, and in advancing diversity, citizenship and global outreach. U of I competes in the Big Sky and Western Athletic conferences. Learn more at uidaho.edu.