The 2010-2011 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 of their choosing. The
scholarship is offered and managed by
The American Soybean Association and
is made possible through a grant by
BASF.
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 on-line Sept. 14, 2009 through November
16, 2009. Final Selection will be made the
first week of December. The student will be
notified prior to an official announcement
made in March 2010, during Commodity Classic
in Anaheim, CA. 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.
2010-2011 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 and remain in good
standing with the college or University to
obtain the full scholarship. (GPA will be
checked between semesters.
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, FFA Advisor etc. and
one personal recommendation letter
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. Applications accepted from
September 14 through November 16, 2009.
The
scholarship winner will be chosen in early
December and the winner will be notified.
The
official public announcement will be made in
March at the Commodity Classic convention
and trade show in Anaheim, Calif.
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.
