Shinoda Announces Scholarships
The Trustees of the Joseph Shinoda Memorial Scholarship Foundation have recently announced the recipients of the 2006-2007 Shinoda Foundation Scholarships. These scholarships are given to students studying floriculture, horticulture and related fields. Six students received a total of $18,000 to assist in funding their upcoming academic years.
“The pool of applicants becomes more competitive each year,” said Paul Ecke, III, president of the Shinoda Foundation. “We are thrilled to see the next generation have such interest in a career in horticulture, and we are pleased to support them in their studies.”
In 2005, the Board of Trustees approved an increase in the Shinoda scholarship awards. The move was due in part to help defray the increased costs of attending school. The board also believes that increasing the scholarship awards will attract the highest quality students, encouraging them to apply for the funding and pursue their careers in floriculture. This year’s recipients are the first group to benefit from this increased scholarship funding.
There are six recipients of the 2006-2007 Shinoda Scholarships:
- $5,000 to senior Jamie K. Mastright, 24, Ventura, Calif. She is an environmental horticulture science major at California Polytechnic State University.
- $3,500 to sophomore Kelly D. Norris, 19, Bedford, Iowa. She is a horticulture major at Iowa State University.
- $3,500 to senior Jessica D. Ritter, 22, West Point, Neb. She is a horticulture major at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln.
- $3,000 to senior Russ P. Newman, 27, Nipomo, Calif. He is an environmental horticulture science major at California Polytechnic State University.
- $2,000 to senior Krystle L. Peelen, 21, Sanborn, Iowa. She is a horticulture major at South Dakota State University.
- $1,000 to senior Heather R. Ephraim, 23, Quartz Hill, Calif. She is an environmental horticulture science major at California Polytechnic State University.
Heather Ephraim was also designated as the recipient of the California Floral Council (CFC) Scholarship. This is the first year this scholarship has been awarded by the Shinoda Foundation. A gift of $15,000 was presented to the Shinoda Foundation by Hardy Neuendorff, president of the CFC, in 2005 to establish the CFC Scholarship in perpetuity. According to Neuendorff, education is critical to help young people meet the expanding demands of the floral industry. The CFC gift, Neuendorff hopes, will help offset the rising costs of education.
In addition to the $18,000 in scholarship awards, 10 percent of each scholarship will be sent to the awardees’ departments. This additional funding is for the purpose of encouraging students to apply for future Shinoda Scholarships. The additional scholarship funding totaled $1,800 for the current year, bringing the total funding awarded in 2006-2007 to $19,800.
Applications for the Shinoda Foundation’s scholarships are distributed each January to horticulture and floriculture departments at universities across the nation. Information about making contributions to the foundation or about its scholarship program can be obtained from its Internet site, www.shinodascholarship.org.
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