(L to R) 2022 scholarship recipients Darrick Nicol, Kelsey Gubbins and Adam Fast with Ag Scholarship Committee Chair Wayne Lindwall on Thursday, March 3 2022. (Photo: J. Goulet-LNN)

By Justin Goulet

Awards Gala on March 2, 2023

Rotary Club of Lethbridge East to award three $10,000 scholarships to southern Alberta agriculture students

Feb 27, 2023 | 9:34 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – Students from southern Alberta who are studying agriculture will be awarded for their hard work this week.

The Rotary Club of Lethbridge East hosts its annual Ag Scholarship Dinner at the Coast Hotel on Thursday, March 2, 2023. This year marks the fifth year that the bursary will be awarded.

For 2023, three students will each receive a $10,000 agricultural scholarship.

Glenn Coulter is a Rotary Club of Lethbridge East member and is part of the organizing committee for the bursary. He said the Rotary Club believes the scholarships “will act as a springboard to accelerate students’ academic development” within the field of agriculture.

Coulter said, “They will enhance the profile of the students to obtain leadership positions in agriculture.”

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He added that the money will help cover tuition costs, and can give students the opportunity to attend events and take part in activities that they might not be able to otherwise.

Coulter said, “It might allow students to attend agricultural conferences that they would not be able to afford to attend normally, so this gives them profile within the industry, they learn lots about what’s happening in the industry and just overall, [provides] assistance to their development into leadership positions in the future, in support of this great agricultural industry we have in southern Alberta.”

Residents will have to wait until Thursday to find out who the winners are, but Coulter noted the recipients went through a rigorous interview process.

He said, “It was a bit of a tough decision. We had seven excellent candidates that were interviewed, and we have chosen the top three to receive the scholarship.”

In addition to celebrating agriculture students, the Thursday night event will feature a keynote speech by Chris Koch, a farmer born in Lethbridge. Koch was born without arms and legs and will share his story with attendees. Coulter believes everyone will leave the gala feeling inspired by Koch’s journey.

He commented that Koch is, “an unbelievable individual in terms of his accomplishments and he has a fantastic ‘can-do’ attitude.”

More details about the agricultural scholarship and celebratory dinner are at the Rotary Club of Lethbridge East website.

READ MORE: Rotary Club of Lethbridge East opens applications for 2023 $10,000 Ag Scholarship Program