Steele County Robert Chladek Scholarship
Application and Selection Procedures
Eligibility
Any senior graduating from a high school located in Steele County, Minnesota who plans to study agribusiness at a college or university.
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Procedure
Submit a two-page summary of your academic qualifications (attach a transcript), leadership roles, planned college academic goals, and post college aspirations to the high school agriculture instructor or counseling department before April 25th. Include two letters of recommendation with the application, one of which should be from the high school’s agriculture education teacher. Each school will email their best student’s application, endorsed by a school administrator, to the 761 Foundation Board, via Sarah Hoffman, shoffman@isd761.org, by May 1st. The applications will be reviewed by the 761 Foundation board and the selected person will be announced after May 15th. Up to a $5,000 scholarship could be given to a qualified applicant.
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Selection Criteria
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Academic Merit: Does the transcript show evidence of high academic achievement that is relevant for the coursework required by the proposed post- secondary agribusiness degree? Has the student taken at least two agriculture classes in high school? Is the application expressed clearly, written logically with high order thinking skills, and submitted without grammatical errors? Do the letters of recommendation support the applicant’s stated academic qualifications?
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Leadership Successes and Potential: Does the applicant embrace the ideals of integrity, service, and honesty? Has he/she demonstrated success from a leadership position--whether organizing, mobilizing, or inspiring others--that achieves positive results for others beyond the applicant? Does the applicant demonstrate courage of conviction and determination? Has the applicant participated in extra-curricular activities outside of the classroom, including FFA? Do the letters of recommendation agree with the applicant’s self-assessment of leadership potential?
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Ambassadorial Potential: Has the applicant shown the ability to build relationships outside his peer group? Does the applicant understand the magnitude of agribusiness’s role in society and the need to share with them the importance of scientific research and development for continued growth in quantity and quality of our world’s food supply? Is there support of this appreciation for sound scientific agricultural practices documented in the letters of recommendation?
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