Stemilt Awards Six Local Students With College Scholarships Through WAEF Program
July 24, 2013 | 2 min to read
WENATCHEE, Wash. – In conjunction with the Washington Apple Education Foundation (WAEF), Stemilt Growers is helping send six local students to college in 2013 through its scholarship program, totaling $26,000. The Stemilt scholarship recipients include four children of Stemilt employees, one accounting student and intern, and a former Stemilt employee pursuing a degree in agriculture.
Jonathan Abarca, Alonso Castro, Ernesto Castro, Hailey George, Minerva Zayas, and Molly Mayer were among the 200 students that received scholarships through WAEF’s scholarship program in 2013. The Stemilt scholarship recipients joined a larger group to be recognized by the tree fruit industry during the WAEF scholarship luncheon on Monday, July 22nd at the Wenatchee Convention Center.
WAEF is the charitable organization for the Washington tree fruit industry. In 2013, they helped award 200 scholarships to local students totaling $650,000.
Jonathan Abarca received the Thomas K. Mathison Memorial Scholarship, which honors Stemilt’s late founder. Abarca just completed his first year at Washington State University and is pursuing a degree in agriculture in hopes of one day returning to the orchard as a manager or horticulturist. He will receive $12,000 in 2013 to help with tuition and expenses.
Four Stemilt scholarships went to employees/children of employees. Ernesto Castro received a $4,000 renewable scholarship which he will use at Washington State University as he pursues an engineering degree. His brother, Alonso Castro, received a one-time $2,500 scholarship this year. He is studying optometry at Washington State University. Minerva Zayas, a sophomore psychology major at Eastern Washington University, and Hailey George, a senior accounting major at University of Washington, also received one-time $2,500 scholarships.
Stemilt’s $2,500 renewable accounting scholarship and internship went to Molly Mayer. She attends Central Washington University and is spending her summer break getting hands-on experience by interning in Stemilt’s accounting department.
Courtney Mathison, who oversees corporate social responsibility at Stemilt and served on the WAEF scholarship selection committee this year, said the company increased its scholarship offerings in 2013 after realizing the need in the community.
“College is becoming increasingly expensive and for many, a WAEF scholarship helps making a dream of attending college a reality. Stemilt is proud to support these six students as they pursue a higher degree, and hope they will bring their talents our company or industry once they complete their schooling,” Mathison said.
Earlier this month, Stemilt presented WAEF with a check for $17,000. The funds for the check came from the proceeds of the 5th Annual Thomas K. Mathison Memorial Golf Tournament, which was held on May 16th in Wenatchee. These funds help sustain the TKM Memorial Scholarship for years to come. Stemilt has supported WAEF since its inception in 1994.
About Stemilt
Stemilt Growers is a leading tree fruit growing, packing and shipping company based in Wenatchee, Washington. Owned and operated by the Mathison family, Stemilt is the leading shipper of sweet cherries and the largest supplier of organic tree fruits in the nation. Stemilt has also demonstrated a commitment to sustainable agriculture and social responsibility since 1989, when founder Tom Mathison launched the company’s Responsible Choice program.
About Washington Apple Education Foundation
The Washington Apple Education Foundation is the charity of Washington’s tree fruit industry. It was formed in 1994 to coordinate, develop and promote charitable activities reflecting the values of industry members. For more information, please visit its web site at www.waef.org or phone (509) 663-7713.
Source: Stemilt