On Friday, September 20, AAE held its annual Scholars and Sponsors recognition dinner. Twenty-nine undergraduates and thirteen graduate students received some form of funding. The awards totaled approximately $118,000.
As the cost of financing a college education continues to challenge families, these scholarships help to ease students’ financial burden. Most undergraduate students also noted that receiving a scholarship allowed them time to pursue important activities outside of their academics, such as volunteering or participating in a club.
At the graduate level, $48,650 was awarded over the past year. Most of this amount was in the form of a fellowship, which allows a student to concentrate on their research without having a work obligation. Graduate student awards helped to cover costs for their academic and professional development-including attending and presenting at conferences and/or workshops, and other expenses involved in conducting original research. AAE is extremely grateful to the donors who have made these gifts possible. Their support has an incredible impact on the lives of our students.
Attendees enjoyed dinner and a beautiful fall evening on the lake. The guest speaker was AAE alumna Melissa Jacobson B.S. ’11, currently the Director of Young Leader Programs for the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation. She talked about her own college journey and encouraged students to explore their interests but also be willing to get out of their comfort zone and seek new opportunities.
Congratulations to this year’s scholarship recipients. Learn more about our students on the scholarship website: aae.wisc.edu/scholars