Meet the recipients of AgFirst’s Native American and Latino scholarships

Four college students with a passion for serving rural communities and agriculture are the 2022 recipients of AgFirst’s Native American and Latino scholarships.

Now in its second year, the scholarship program is the result of a partnership with the Native American Agriculture Fund (NAAF) and Minorities in Agriculture Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANNRS) to offer $3,000 higher education scholarships to Native American and Latino students enrolled in agricultural programs.

Get to know this year’s recipients and learn how they plan to make a difference in agriculture. 

Alex Davis – Native American scholarship recipient

Davis is a junior at the University of Arkansas studying agriculture. She is passionate about helping native tribes tackle obstacles related to food security and sovereignty. Davis also hopes to make livestock processing more efficient for Native American communities.

Kyleen Hewitt – Native American scholarship recipient

Hewitt is a senior at the University of Southern Arkansas studying agriculture. She is currently interning at Farm Credit of Arkansas. As someone who grew up on a ranch, Hewitt plans to pursue a career in ag financing. She seeks to be involved in agriculture at the ground level to support those who make it their way of life.

Avelardo Vargas – Latino scholarship recipient

Vargas is a senior at the University of Idaho studying animal and veterinary science with a focus in dairy science. His mission is to give back to the rural community that gave him so much. Vargas seeks to be involved in dairy operations by helping producers improve herd health and nutrition.

Jaci Deitrick – Native American scholarship recipient

Deitrick is a first-year graduate student at the University of Oklahoma. She is active in livestock research, specializing in cattle insemination, and hopes to develop healthy and hardy breeds of cattle. Deitrick aspires to work for a company that helps agriculturalists from a business side.

AgFirst is proud to award these bright students with this year’s scholarships as they embark on careers supporting rural communities.