Crop Insurance Today February 2018 - 29

Director Small Farms Research Center, AAMU.
Tashieka Smith (2012) entered graduate
school after finishing her BS degree. She got an
MBA degree with agribusiness as her concentration. She then went to work for Archer Daniels
Midland Co in Birmingham, Alabama. Anissa
Taylor (2014) is currently completing her MS
degree in Food and Animal Science at Alabama
A&M University with a focus in food technology.
She's expected to graduate this fall.
Dr. Chembezi wrote: "I would like to take
this opportunity to thank you and NCIS for the
scholarship which was awarded to Mar'Kayla
Bethea in fall of 2015. I am pleased to report that
Mar'Kayla has successfully completed her Bachelors of Science degree program in Food and Animal Science." She graduated in 2017 and has been
admitted to an AAMU Graduate Program, focusing on geographical information systems (GIS)
in the Biological and Environmental Sciences
Department. "Mar'Kayla benefited enormously
from the NCIS scholarship and was able to concentrate on her education. NCIS' financial generosity indeed allowed Mar'Kayla to achieve her
goal of a quality education," noted Dr. Chembezi.
And finally, Tatayana Kennedy (2017) is doing well in her second semester on scholarship at
AAMU majoring in Environmental Science.
As noted above, these scholarships not only
help financially, but help to boost self-esteem as
well. Charles Douglas Waller III, commented
that this was the case for him and his scholarship
experience at Fort Valley State.
"I was fortunate enough to receive a four-semester scholarship from the National Crop Insurance Services in the fall of 2016. I am very
honored and blessed to have been chosen to receive such an award. This scholarship has helped
me tremendously in a variety of areas, from buying books and school supplies; all the way across
the board it has helped me." Mr. Waller further
said, "Also in my situation, this was a confidence
booster that led me to do even better than I have
done in the past. It showed me that if I work hard
enough that there are people and companies that
will assist you financially. With the confidence
that the NCIS scholarship helped build in me, I
ran for Mr. Fort Valley State University for the
2017-2018 scholastic year, and won. So to NCIS,
I say thank you for giving me a chance to be great
and excel here at The Fort Valley State University."
Dr. Steve Zeng, Chair, Department of Agriculture & Natural Resources, Langston University (Oklahoma) expressed appreciation for
the three scholarships NCIS has granted to stu-

Scholarship Overview
Amount:
$5,000 ($1,250/semester for four semesters*). Scholarship money may be
used for tuition, fees, books, and other related expenses. Payment is made
directly to the university.

Required Qualifications:
* Continuing status as a full-time undergraduate student at an 1890 Land-Grant
University.
* Have completed sophomore year in college and are considered a junior (four
semesters to graduate).
* Have a declared major in an agricultural discipline.
* Minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA.
* U.S. Citizen.

Must meet the following requirements each semester for scholarship
to continue:
* Minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA.
* Have an agricultural discipline major.
* *Verification each semester from department head that student meets the
above requirements and continues as a full-time undergraduate student in
good standing at the University.
dents at Langston. "On behalf of all our faculty,
students and staff, I want to express our sincere
appreciation to you and NCIS for awarding this
scholarship to our department for the fifth and
sixth years in a row. The two previous recipients have gone on to great careers in agriculture because of this scholarship. We can assure
you Ms. Hollins will not disappoint us and will
make your company proud as she continues her
college education in her senior year at Langston
University. This scholarship will not only help
her financially but also boost her confidence
in her pursuit of a college degree and a career
in agriculture."
Jacquelyn "Nicole" Edwards, was the third
recipient of an NCIS scholarship (2012). Her experience at the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff
and story summarize very well the positive impact this scholarship program is having.
"The NCIS scholarship was such a big help!"
Nicole said. "This scholarship took away the burden of having to focus on how I would pay for
college while trying to maintain my GPA and
participate in multiple campus activities. I am be-

yond grateful for organizations, like NCIS, who
support the educational dreams and aspirations
of young people through scholarships."
Nicole graduated with a Bachelor's of Science
in Agricultural Business/ Economics Option and
was hired as a Loan Assistant with the USDA's
Rural Development agency. She then attended
graduate school at the University of Arkansas in
Fayetteville, graduating with a Master of Science
degree in Operations Management. Currently
she is employed in logistics as an Area Manager
at a Wal-Mart Distribution Center.
Commenting further on her scholarship experience, she said, "Within the past year, I have
served on two scholarship committees. I understand the importance of giving back and how
invaluable a donation can be to helping someone's future, no matter how small. John Holmes
once said 'There is no exercise better for the
heart than reaching down and lifting people
up.' To the phenomenal people and scholarship
committee of NCIS, thank you. Thank you for
reaching down, lifting me up and helping me
accomplish my goals!"
CROPINSURANCE TODAY®

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Crop Insurance Today February 2018