2023 Scholarship Winners

This year, the Illinois Agri-Women (IAW) organization has awarded 5 scholarships for females studying agriculture. The Illinois Agri-Women (IAW) organization supports the agriculture industry, works for legislation to support and preserve family farms, communicates with other agriculture organizations, and strives to educate the public and promote agricultural awareness.

One $1,500 IAW Helen Henert Agriculture Education Scholarship has been awarded to Mallory Ames, an agriculture education major who will be finishing their undergraduate degree in the next year. Ames of Saint Joseph, Illinois will be a senior at the University of Illinois this year finishing her degree in Education. 

Ames states “Passion can only carry an educator so far before burnout from the imbalance of teaching and non-teaching commitments overwhelm. Teachers are underpaid and operating with limited resources. I believe we were created for connection. Educators need opportunities to connect with students and coworkers and feel appreciated by the community”. 

Four $1,000 WCFA Agent of Change Scholarships are offered to students who have attended at least one Women Changing the Face of Agriculture Conference. Eligible applicants include past WCFA attendees and students who participated in the 2021 WCFA in person event and the 2022 WCFA Online Curriculum.  One scholarship will be awarded to a high school senior, one will be awarded to a current college student, and one scholarship will be awarded to a current graduate student. This years scholarship recipients are:

Haley Bode, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale will receive a $1000 scholarship. She is the daughter of Tim and Laura Bode out of Waterloo, Illinois. While she graduated in 2022, Bode took an educational gap year for the 2022-2023 school year to serve as the Illinois Association FFA State Secretary. After her year of service to the FFA, she will be attending Southern Illinois University-Carbondale as a freshman. Bode’s plan is to double major in agricultural education and crop/soil production management in hopes of becoming an agriculture educator and FFA advisor.

She stated “The largest goal I have for myself is to become more well versed within all sectors of the agriculture industry, in order to become a more well rounded teacher. I think it is important that agriculture educators are informed and understand all pathways within agriculture so that they can help a wider variety of kids find their place within the industry”. 

Meg Simmons, Western Illinois University, Macomb is another recipient of a $1000 scholarship. Her parents are Jeremiah and Amy Simmons, hailing from Macomb, Illinois. Simmon’s future career plans are to study at Western Illinois University, major in Ag Business with minors in marketing and art & design.

“I enjoy marketing and feel that I would excel in the sales world. I hope to one day work for John Deer, Yetter, or Prairieland FS. Thanks to WCFA, I now know what is available to me and what opportunities I have for my future in the agriculture industry” Simmons writes.

Emma Kuhns, University of Illinois, Champaign will also receive a $1000 scholarship. Kuhns originates from Altamont, Illinois and is the daughter of Stan & Shelly Kuhns. Kuhns’s course study is Agriculture and Consumer Economics with an accompanying Pre Law tract. 

“Never before had I been exposed to the amount of different backgrounds and occupations all relating to the industry I loved. Because I was raised on a farm, I had always held an inborn fondness for the noble pursuit agriculture is, but I had only seen a small portion of the possibilities within it. My future career may seem unconventional, but because of the exposure I received over the years at WCFA, I have gained a great appreciation for all of the “unconventional” agriculturally related careers” Kuhns reflects. 

Claire Geiger, Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville is the daughter of Steve “Jake” and Dena Geiger from Highland, Illinois will also receive $1000. She completed 4 years at U of I – Parkland Pathways Student receiving her Bachelors of Science – Agricultural Science Education with a Biology certification / Minor: Crop Sciences. Geiger then moved on to accept a position as an FFA advisor which included: 4 years teaching at Nokomis as an Ag teacher and 4 years teaching at Highland as an Ag teacher and FFA advisor. Simultaneously teaching the past 2 years while taking night classes gaining a Masters degree at SIUE in Environmental Sciences – Education Concentration. 

Geiger stated “Ultimately the goal is to share my passion for agriculture and teach future stakeholders to manage natural resources wisely for the good of their community and the world. As a high school ag instructor, I strive to do this through providing high quality academic opportunities that apply to real world problems by making learning relevant”. 

To access applications or find out more information about scholarships, visit  Scholarships – WCFA (womenchangingthefaceofagriculture.com) or www.illinoisagriwomen.org.