The 2012-2013 Secure
Optimal Yield Scholarship is a $5,000
one-time award presented to a High
School Senior who is going to pursue
Agriculture as a degree area of study
at any accredited College or
University. The
scholarship is managed by
the American Soybean Association and
is made possible through a grant by
BASF Corporation.
The scholarship will be
presented in $2,500 increments per semester. The student must maintain successful academic
progress and be in good standing with the
College or University to receive the full
amount of the scholarship. Candidates may
apply online Sept. 15, 2011 through November
15, 2011. Final selection will be made the
first week of December. The student will be
notified prior to an official announcement
made in March 2012, during Commodity Classic
in Nashville, TN. BASF sponsors the winner and
one parent to attend Commodity Classic for two
days to participate and receive special
recognition at the ASA Awards Banquet on the
Friday night of Commodity Classic. See below
for specific scholarship requirements.
2012-2013 Scholarship
Requirements
HS GPA of 3.00 on a 4.00
scale to apply and submit a current HS
transcript
HS transcript can be official
or unofficial but must show HS GPA scale.
For example how high does the scale go 4.00
or 5.00?
Applicant must be the child
or grandchild of a current ASA member. Only
one award per household for the duration of
the life of the scholarship.
Applicant must plan to
declare Agriculture (or discipline in the
school of Agriculture) as a degree area of
study at any accredited College or
University of their choosing.
Applicant must submit most
recent ACT/and or SAT standardized test
score.
Applicant must maintain a
college GPA of 2.5 during their first
semester of freshman year, and remain in
good
standing with the College or University to
obtain the full scholarship. (GPA will be
checked between semesters.) Transfer credits
do not apply toward the GPA requirement.
Applicant must complete an
essay of 500 words or less, entitled,
“What does the future of
agriculture look like, and what role will I
play in that future."
Applicant must provide two
letters of recommendation from an authority
figure dealing directly with the student’s
academic progress such as HS Guidance
Counselor, Ag teacher, other Advisor, etc. and
one personal recommendation letter, such as
FFA advisor, pastor, etc.
Applicant must show
demonstrated extra-curricular activities/leadership skills in agriculture
activities.
Student’s parent or
grandparent must remain a current member
throughout the tenure of the student’s
scholarship.
Selection Process
Applicants fill out
on-line
application from September 15, 2011
through November 15, 2011.
Scholarship winner will be selected in early
December and the winner will be notified.
The
official public announcement will be made at
Commodity Classic in Nashville, TN, in
March 2012.
Selected Candidates Scoring
20% HS GPA and ACT and/or SAT
standardized test score
20% Response to Essay Question
30% Extra-curricular/leadership activities
related to agriculture
30% Two letters of recommendation. One
academic. One personal.
