Eight students bound for college this fall are recipients of the R. Flake Shaw Scholarship—North Carolina Farm Bureau’s top academic award.

For the first time, scholarships were awarded to two students who will attend community college to receive an associate degree in an agriculturally related field or prepare to transfer to a four-year college or university. The renewable scholarship is valued at $1,000 per year for two years of study, and provides each recipient with a total of $2,000 over two years for tuition, books and other expenses. Ultimately, the scholarship program will assist four community college students each year.
For the six four-year college or university students, the renewable scholarship is valued at $3,000 per year and provides each recipient with a total of $12,000 over four years for tuition, books and other expenses. The scholarship program assists 24 college-level students each year.

The R. Flake Shaw scholarship program has provided more than $500,000 in scholarship money to agriculture students since it was founded in 1967.

All six of the four-year college scholarship recipients have chosen to attend North Carolina State University (NCSU) in Raleigh.

Matthew A. Currin, a graduate of Knightdale High School in Wake County, plans to pursue a degree in agricultural education. Currin is also part of a Supervised Agricultural Experience, where he manages a greenhouse and nursery plants, does forestry management with 4,000 red cedar trees and works on a soybean and grain family farm. “To teach students about the need for agriculture is something I am passionate about, because I strive to promote agriculture for the future,” he says.

Cameron M. Davis, a graduate of Northeast Academy in Northampton County, says a career in agriculture has always been his choice. Davis has his own business, Davis Lawn Care, and has spent his whole life on the farm. His father, grandfather, uncle and several cousins are farmers, too, and he thinks the farm is the best place to live, have a family and have a career. “I enjoy the heritage of the farm and knowing I work the same land my father and grandfather did before me,” he says.

Kylie G. Glisson, a graduate of Rosewood High School in Wayne County, will pursue a degree in animal science. Glisson has already garnered experience working with the Wayne County Animal Shelter and participating in sheep production. “Both of these have allowed me to gain experience with both small and large animals, and at the same time, apply the skills that I have learned in my high school animal science classes to real-life situations,” she says.

William R. Harper, a graduate of Greene Central High School, plans to return to the farm that has been in his family for generations after college. But, Harper says today’s successful farm operation requires an education in business and marketing, as well as protecting the environment while feeding the world. “I am interested in all parts of a farming operation, but I know I have much more to learn to keep my family farm successful in the future,” he says.

Forrest C. Howell, a graduate of Pungo Christian Academy in Beaufort County, plans to attend Beaufort Community College (BCC) for one year and then transfer to NCSU to pursue a degree in agriscience. Howell has already been dually enrolled at BCC and wants to return to his community to enhance farming techniques to preserve the environment and improve productivity. “People are dependent on agriculture to survive, but in this growing, urban world agriculture, it is often overlooked,” he says.

Austin B. Jones, a graduate of Creswell High in Washington County, says he’s already experienced some of the personal satisfaction that comes from farming. Jones has already spent several years working on two farms—a grain farm and a tobacco and turkey farm. “I’ve seen a great potential for profit and personal gain through the rigor of agricultural life,” he says.

Zachery B. Morris, a graduate of Lawrence Academy in Bertie County, will pursue a degree in agricultural business management. Morris says his dream is to continue his family’s farm legacy and run the business. “In order to be successful in this current economic state, a much broader education is needed that includes not only good farming techniques, but also knowledge of business and technology,” he says.

Alicia M. Watts, a graduate of Hoyle’s Creek Homeschool in Gaston County, plans to attend Redlands Community College, where she plans to study sheep and goat reproduction and nutrition. Watts says she wants to earn a master’s degree in animal science and work for USDA, possibly as a meat inspector. “This career contributes to the ag industry in many ways,” she says.