George F. Sorn Scholarship
The Foundation recognizes that employees — and by extension their families — are the foundation of any agricultural enterprise. In 2007, it established the George F. Sorn Scholarship to help children of farmworkers realize their dreams of a college education. The scholarship benefits deserving high school graduates who are children of employees in the state’s specialty crop industry. A leading authority on farm labor, George F. Sorn led FFVA’s labor division for 17 years. He then served as FFVA’s vice president and general manager from 1984 until his retirement in 1992.
This year there were a number of outstanding applicants for the George F. Sorn Scholarship. Congratulations to 2022 winners Janet Garcia and Michelle Leon-Garcia.
Learn About george f. sorn
Scholarship Cover Letter
Scholarship Application
Mike and Karen Stuart Scholarship
A focus of FFVA and its foundation is to identify and develop leaders to be strong advocates for Florida agriculture and help foster a pipeline of talent in the industry. In an effort to instill passion for the agriculture industry, engage with a new generation of young leaders and foster a workforce dedicated to the future of Florida agriculture, FFVA created the Mike and Karen Stuart Scholarship. The scholarship encourages and supports college students who intend to pursue a career in the specialty crop industry. Applicants may be interested in either production agriculture (growing, shipping, packing) or the allied industry (fertilizer and crop protection, equipment, food safety, sales and marketing, etc.). The scholarship is in recognition of the devotion and many years of service to the specialty crop industry that Mike and Karen Stuart provided.
Congratulations to the 2022 scholarship recipients, Elanie Mason and Erin Parke Watson!
Elanie Mason is a senior at the University of Florida studying agricultural education and communication. She also is a lab research assistant with Corteva AgriScience. In her application, she wrote that she was humbled to be a first-generation agriculturist. She did not grow up on a family farm but has been blessed with opportunities and experiences from farmers and ranchers. She hopes her experiences will inspire others to find their niche in the agriculture industry.
Erin Parke Watson is the Director of Food Safety and Compliance for Parkesdale Farms, Inc., Parkesdale Farms Packing & Cooling, Inc., and Berry Sweet Acres, Inc. Parkesdale Farms has been a staple of Plant City, Florida since her grandfather started the company over 70 years ago. With the strawberry fields as her background, Erin grew up with a passion for the agriculture industry and was inspired to further her education as an adult and complete her bachelor's degree in sustainability management.
Awards
$2,000 per recipient
The application period is open.
Scholarship Requirements
Scholarship Application
Donate to the Scholarship
Scholarship Donors
We are grateful for the contributions of these donors:
Donors to the Stuart Scholarship
Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association
FFVA Mutual Insurance Co.
Paul Allen
Bruce Clement
Tony DiMare
Gladstone Land
Josh Griffin
Growers Management Inc.
Brooke Hill
Lisa Hill
Brent Johnson
John Long
Orsenigo Farms
Martha Roberts
Kim Stickles
Mike Stuart
Sonia Tighe
Trevor Troyer
Wild Goose Farms
Michelle Williamson
Gary Wishnatzki
Mike Joyner