53 Academic Scholarships Awarded to APHA Youth
PHJ release by: Laura Jesberg
Each year, the American Paint Horse Foundation awards scholarship funds to some of AjPHA’s most deserving young members. Over the past 26 years, APHF has awarded more than $860,000 in scholarships to 322 students.
Who are the students who receive foundation scholarships? They are the hard-working young horsemen and -women you see striving every day to be the best they can be, both as horsemen and in their academic pursuits. These students are supported by the generous donations given to the foundation program by APHA members in honor of loved ones or by regional Paint Horse clubs and zones.
For academic scholarship consideration, students must be a member of the AjPHA or APHA for two years, must pass a college entrance examination, provide three letters of reference and submit an essay explaining their educational plans. After they have been granted a scholarship, they must maintain a “B” or better grade-point average to be eligible for renewal.
A total of 16 students received new scholarships for 2016–2017. They are:
| Andrea Althoff | Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College | |
| Madeline Alewine | Bud & Bev Shoemaker | Oklahoma State University |
| Blayne Bell | Ashley Huntington Memorial | Delaware State University |
| Sydney Craig | Zone 3 #2 | Florida Gulf Coast University |
| Callie Foster | Jason Sheriff Memorial | University of Mississippi |
| Jacob Grinstead | Bob & Theda Bartholomew | Kansas State University |
| Hannah Hattendorf | Ark-La-Tex PHC | Austin Peay State University |
| Abigail Guin | Utah PHC #1 | Southern Arkansas University |
| Julie Hill | Keith Lemoine Memorial | Texas A&M University |
| Curtis Howerton | Zone 2 | Black Hawk College |
| Cassidy Jones | Zone 3 #4 | University of Missouri-Columbia |
| Caitlin Reed | Cross Timbers PHC #2 | Texas Tech University |
| Alyssa Sappington | Nebraska PHC | TBD |
| Kristen Venable | Arizona PHC #2 | University of South Florida |
| Raegan Watson | Mikea Smith Honorarium | Lee College |
| Lauren Zaddack | Paul White Memorial | University of Wisconsin-River Falls |
To renew, students must provide the previous semester’s official transcript and an update on their educational plans and goals. Thirty-seven students renewed their scholarships for the 2016–2017 academic year. They are:
| Celsey Beneda | Zone 3 #3 | Kansas State University |
| Tasha Gibson | Roland & Joan Hoch Memorial | CO Northwestern Comm. College |
| Meagen Jones | Arizona PHC #6 | Brigham Young University |
| Brogan Horton | Matt Diamond Memorial | Texas A&M University |
| Makenzie Keefer | Central California PHC | Colorado State University |
| Nadine Miller | Washington PHC | Washington State University |
| Jamie Riley | Zone 1 #1 | University of Montana Western |
| Kelsey Richie | Lynn Simons Memorial #2 | Texas Christian University |
| Shay Voorhees | Duane Pettibone Memorial | Dallas Baptist University |
| Chloe Benning | Cross Timbers PHC #1 | Baylor University |
| Sydney Broussard | Floyd & MaryAnn More #1 | University of Florida |
| Kirsten Chamberland | Wonderlich | Oklahoma State University |
| Taylor Dixon | Sheila Plimpton Memorial | University of Georgia |
| Hannah Himmellmann | Idaho PHC | University of Kentucky |
| Courtney Hall | Floyd & MaryAnn Moore #2 | Missouri State University |
| Nicole Jennings | Dr. Bill Jackson | University of Findlay |
| Crystal Ann Mitchell | Zone 1 #3 | University of Wisconsin Madison |
| Kelsey Kafesjian | Yoesel Memorial | Colorado State University |
| Andrea Nelson | Arizona PHC #4 | Utah State University |
| Sarah Nelson | Lynn Simons Memorial #1 | University of Saint Thomas |
| Lindsey Valdiviez | Robert Hass Memorial | Baylor University |
| Morgan Vance | Mary & Robert Parrott | Oklahoma State University |
| Laurel Caldwell | Southwest Washington PHC | Oregon State University |
| Kimberlyn Crisp | Bud & Bev Shoemaker | Tarleton State University |
| Brinley Evans | Ashley Huntington Memorial | Fort Hays State University |
| Taylor Gibson | Zone 3 #2 | CO Northwestern Community College |
| Jennifer Hines | Jason Sheriff Memorial | Morrisville State College |
| Anna Hutlas | Ark-La-Tex PHC | University of Georgia |
| Catherine Lankford | Keith Lemoine Memorial | Georgia Northwestern Technical College |
| Morgan Johnson | Zone 2 | University of California–Berkeley |
| Madison Malsch | Zone 3 #4 | Texas A&M University |
| Meredith Milton | Cross Timbers PHC #2 | University of South Carolina |
| Charles Rufo | Nebraska PHC | Oklahoma State University |
| Amber Spinuzzi | Arizona PHC #2 | University of Nevada-Reno |
| Taylor Tuso | Mikea Smith Honorarium | Texas A&M University |
| Callie Jo Ware | Paul White Memorial | University of Findlay |
| Jessica Wood | Zone 3 #2 | University of Guelph |
Interested in supporting the Youth of APHA? Our Youth scholarship program is growing every year, and we offer several ways to donate for education.
- Academic Scholarships: Contribute to one of our existing endowments that fund a scholarship every year.
- Youth World Championship Show Scholarships: This new initiative generates scholarship funds for AjPHA members competing at our championship show. The scholarship funds add up each year an exhibitor competes in select classes.
For more information or to donate, visit apha.com/foundation or contact Foundation Director Laura Jesberg at (817) 222-6412 or ljesberg@apha.com.
