To instill passion for the agriculture industry, engage with a new generation of young leaders and foster a workforce dedicated to the future of Florida agriculture, the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association (FFVA) created the Mike and Karen Stuart Scholarship. The scholarship is in recognition of the devotion and many years of service to the specialty crop industry that the Stuarts provided.
WHO SHOULD APPLY
The scholarship encourages and supports incoming juniors through graduate program students who are currently pursuing or intend to pursue a career in the specialty crop industry. Applicants may be interested in either production agriculture (growing, shipping, packing) or the allied industry (fertilizer and crop protection, equipment, food safety, sales and marketing, etc.).
Scholarship applicants must have a 3.0 or higher grade point average and reside in Florida. The deadline to apply is April 14. Get more information on the scholarship’s requirements and apply here.
2024 RECIPIENTS
Two students earn a $2,000 Mike and Karen Stuart Scholarship each year. The 2024 recipients were Emma Putnam and Alex Fast.
Putnam is a junior at the University of Florida, pursuing a degree in agricultural communication. Following her graduation in 2026, Emma hopes to utilize her degree by seeking a role within an agricultural organization where she can support Florida farmers at the governmental level. Ultimately, Putnam aspires to become an agricultural lobbyist, combining her interests in agriculture and politics.
Fast is in his first year of a Ph.D. program at the University of Florida, where he is studying plant pathology. His studies have led him to internship roles at Native Fresh and Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, and research assistant roles at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Citrus Research and Education Center and the University of Florida Department of Plant Pathology. Fast aspires to leverage computational biology and molecular biology to create a two-pronged approach to reducing diseases affecting Florida crops.
Source: FFVA
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