Shinoda Foundation awards 11 scholarships

The Shinoda Foundation awarded its scholarships to horticulture students from across the nation.

“With these awards we honor horticulture’s best and brightest,” said Paul Ecke III, president of the Shinoda Foundation. “We know as they grow, the industry will grow with them – and that’s an immeasurable investment.”

The Shinoda Foundation Board of Trustees awarded 11 scholarships this year, which amounted to a total of $19,500. The foundation is also sending a portion of the awards to educational institutions. The winners’ academic departments will receive 10 percent of the awards to students in its department, bringing the total distribution to $21,450.

The Foundation selects its recipients based on rigorous criteria including career goals, academics, work experience, extracurricular activities and need.

Listed below are this year’s recipients.

Shinoda Foundation Scholarships
2012-13 recipients of the Shinoda Foundation Scholarships include:
Kathleen Collins, Senior, Colorado State University, $1,500
Lucas Fedechko, Senior, Pennsylvania State University, $1,500
Kelly Hermann, Junior, University of Missouri – Columbia, $1,500
Adam Ingrao, Senior, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, $2,500
Sarah Leach, Senior, North Carolina State University, $2,500
Jessie Nielsen, Sophomore, University of Nebraska – Lincoln, $1,000
Kristin Potter, Sophomore, University of Nebraska – Lincoln, $1,000
Billy Rose, Junior, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, $2,000
Ryanna Zoellner, Junior, University of Georgia, $2,000

The Shinoda Design Center always awards scholarships recognizing exceptional floral design majors at community colleges in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Diego Counties. Noemi Garcia of Southwestern College (Chula Vista) received $500 for 2012-13.

Adam Ingrao, a student at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, is the recipient of this year’s Los Angeles Flower Market Scholarship. The award was created through the foundation’s directed scholarship program, which provides a simple way to make a lasting tribute to a cherished family member or colleague, or to recognize the importance of a company.

This year’s recipient of the California Floral Council (CFC) Scholarship is Billy Rose of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. CFC President Hardy Neuendorff created the annual award in 2005 to help offset rising education costs.

The Shinoda Foundation was established in 1964 under the auspices of the California State Florsits’ Association in memory of the late Joseph Shinoda, a highly regarded pioneer of California’s floral industry. The foundation’s purpose is to encourage educational opportunities for young people interested in entering the industry.

To learn more, visit www.shinodascholarship.org.