Not many organizations can say “We have given away $175,000 in college scholarship funds over the last 17 years.”
The Friends of the Dixon May Fair can.
The Friends of the Fair, the service-oriented and fundraising arm of the Dixon May Fair, just presented a total of $12,500 in scholarships to six Solano County residents majoring in an agricultural-related field. The Friends’ philanthropic contributions now totals $175,000.
“We totally support our college students majoring in ag,” said Donnie Huffman of Vacaville, president of the Friends of Fair. The organization raises funds primarily through the sale of beverages sold at the Dixon May Fair.
He and Carrie Hamel of Dixon, the scholarship committee chair, presented the awards to the winners at a recent end-of-the-year barbecue on the fairgrounds.
Jillian Raycraft of Dixon, a student at California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly), San Luis Obispo, received the top award, the $3000 Ester Armstrong Scholarship, which memorializes a fair industry veteran who served as interim chief executive officer from 2006 to 2009.
Four students each received $2000 in the four-year college category: Kyle Garlick of Dixon, Chico State University; Jess Bravos of Dixon, University of San Diego; Kyle Esquer of Dixon, Cal Poly; and Dominique Sloper of Vacaville, Cal Poly.
Cameron Garlick of Dixon, who will attend Butte Community College, Oroville, received the Jack Hopkins Scholarship of $1,500, the top award in the community college category. His brother, Kyle, is a previous recipient of the award.
Hamel said the applicants were scored on personal, civic and academic experience; academic standing; personal commitment and established goals; leadership potential; civic accomplishments; chosen field in the areas of agriculture. Most have experience in 4-H, FFA or Grange—desired but not mandated. All applicants must be residents of Solano County and attend college in California.
Jillian Raycraft, a 2015 graduate of Dixon High School, is studying agricultural production marketing at Cal Poly, where she just completed her second year of studies. She is the fourth generation of Raycrafts pursuing a career in agriculture. She said that growing up on the family harm has captured “most of my heart.” She learned to drive a tractor, work the crops, tend the irrigation system and rear animals. “As I spent my high school career heavily involved in my local FFA chapter, raising animals and farming my own four acres of field corn and oat hay seasonally, it has only further sparked my interest in pursuing a career in agricultural business,” she said.
“Being an advocate for the agricultural industry is a major priority of mine” and she is now deciding between a career in lobbying for the industry and production marketing.
Kyle Garlick, a 2012 Dixon High School graduate and a graduate of Butte Community College, is attending Chico State, majoring in agricultural business. He plans to pursue a career in ag insurance. His interest in agriculture began with his membership in the Dixon Ridge 4-H Club. He completed a summer internship as a field tech with Dellavalle Labs, Davis, a business that specializes in agricultural soil testing. He checked fields and orchards of farmers from Stockton to Chico and offered advice on crop and pest management.
Jess Bravos, a 2017 graduate of Dixon High School and a participant in the Dixon May Fair Livestock Showcase, is interested in pursuing a career as a large animal veterinarian or a forensic pathologist. He will be majoring in biology at Cal Poly this fall. He credits his advanced placement biology at Dixon High with inspiring him to learn more about bioogy. “For me, biology is the perfect combination of the wonders of science, and science I can comprehend,” he said. “By using my knowledge of biology, I plan to make the world a healthier and safer place to live.”
Kyle Esquer, a 2017 graduate of Dixon High School, will attend Cal Poly this fall, majoring in bioresource and agricultural engineering. He plans to become an agriculture engineer. An FFA alumnus, he received greenhand, chapter and state degree honors. He showed a lamb last year at the Dixon May Fair. “Being involved in the FFA and enrolled in agriculture classes has shown me that not everyone is fit to be a doctor or lawyer; some need to grow our produce and others need to care for livestock, and thanks to agriculture, I have found my calling: agriculture engineer.” His career “will not only allow me to help farmers and educate people on agriculture, it will broaden my knowledge of the subject and I will finally get to live the life I have always dreamed of.”
Dominque Sloper, a 2017 graduate of Vacaville High School, will be attending Cal Poly this fall, with career plans as an agricultural educator and FFA advisor. She credits the Vacaville FFA with inspiring her career path. “When I joined the Vacaville FFA chapter my freshman year, agriculture was a foreign concept to me. I grew up in the city, and I knew nothing about how the food I ate made it to my table.” Her membership in FFA included enrolling in seven different projects, holding leadership offices at the chapter, sectional and regional level; competing in five different speaking competitions. “The most amazing aspect of being an FFA advisor is the opportunity to teach not only in the classroom, but to give students hands-on experience…I now understand the future of agriculture is in our hands.”
Cameron Garlick, a 2017 graduate of Dixon High School, attended evening classes at Solano Community College while attending high school. An alumnus of 4-H, FFA and Grange, he showed and lambs at the Dixon May Fair for the past eight years. He plans to pursue a career as a plant crop advisor. “After graduation from Butte Community College, I plan to attend a four-year university to obtain a bachelor of science degree in plant science,” he said.
Carrie Hamel, serving her first year as the scholarship committee chair, is a long-time member of the committee, which also includes Tootie Huffman, Kathy Keatley Garvey and Linda Molina of Vacaville, and Marty Scrivens of Dixon.
More information on the scholarship application rules is available on the Friends of the Fair site at http://www.friendsofthefair.org. The deadline to apply each year is March 1.