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 2023 winner Elmer Mijangos-Figueroa.

Awards
$3,000 per recipient

The application period is closed.

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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 2023 scholarship recipients, LaTaunya Tillman and Samarah Martin!

LaTaunya Tillman is a 2023 master's graduate of the University of Florida, where she received a degree in food science and human nutrition development. She will begin a Ph.D. program at the university in August 2023. Her studies have led her to leadership roles within Driscoll’s East Coast Food Safety and Social Compliance department, where she rose through the ranks from representative to manager from 2017 until 2021. It is LaTaunya’s dream to pursue a career at a UF/IFAS Extension office and continue supporting Florida’s agriculture industry. 

Samarah Martin is a junior at Florida International University studying biology and environmental studies. Samarah’s goal is to work at the U.S. Department of Agriculture following her graduation in 2024 and focus on crop pest management and sustainability. She is also interested in advocating for equitable government policy and social programs surrounding crop production.

Awards
$2,500 per recipient

The application period is closed.

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