Santa Clara County Farm Bureau Scholarships

The Linda L. Lester Scholarship Fund is a program of the Santa Clara County Farm Bureau, in cooperation with American AgCredit. Scholarships of up to $5,000 will be awarded. The scholarships are for local high school seniors and college students who have a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or better and plan to major in agriculture, such as agricultural business, forestry, viticulture, animal science, crop science, environmental science, agricultural engineering, agricultural education, agricultural communications, food science, and others. Recipients of the scholarship will receive annual payments determined by their length of time remaining in college, up to four years. In order to receive annual payments, recipients must provide transcripts from the previous school year and enrollment verification for the upcoming school year. A GPA of 2.5 must be maintained throughout payment schedule.

Awards are based on scholastic achievement, career goals, leadership skills, community involvement, and accomplishments. Applications must be typed and forms are available electronically by contacting the Santa Clara County Farm Bureau office. This form may be scanned or copied. Applications must be complete and include the following:

A. Contact Information Form

B. Scholarship Application

C. Sealed Official Transcripts

D. Personal Statement

E. Two Letters of Recommendation

To be considered for a scholarship, applications must be submitted in a timely manner and applicants must participate in an interview with the Santa Clara County Farm Bureau scholarship committee. Scholarship recipients will be notified by mail in June and monetary awards will be mailed directly to the recipient's college or university once school begins. Scholarship recipients will be asked to provide additional information for payment processing and are also requested to provide a senior class photo for use in future scholarship program promotion.