By Britton Barrett
Jaclyn Roberts
With the rising cost of tuition, it is more important than ever to receive scholarships to help pay for college. However, for three Texas Tech students in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, some of the burden has been lifted.
The Howard Alford Memorial Scholarship was endowed in 1974 by PCCA’s Board of Directors in memory of the cooperative’s former chairman. This honor goes to top Texas Tech students pursuing a degree in agriculture and is based on their high school record, SAT or ACT scores, grade point average, and financial need. The most recent scholaships were awarded to Jaclyn Roberts, Ashleigh Willems, and Michael Marley for their academic achievements.
Roberts grew up in Brownfield, Texas, and graduated from Brownfield High School in 2010. She recently completed her first year as an Agricultural Communications major at Texas Tech and plans to pursue a career in marketing.
“I chose Texas Tech because it was a perfect fit for me,” said Roberts. “I wanted to attend a large university, but the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (CASNR) program at Tech still gave me that small-town feel. It balanced both aspects very well, and it made the transition to college much easier because it was close to home.”
Ashleigh Willems, a Lubbock native, graduated from Frenship High School and now majors in Food Science at Texas Tech.
“I fell in love with agriculture through activities with my high school FFA chapter,” said Willems. “I like how personal the CASNR is at Texas Tech, and they genuinely care if you’re doing well and help you prepare for a job in the future.” Once Willems graduates, she plans to attend graduate school and would like to work in the poultry industry.
Michael Marley grew up in Plainview, Texas, and has been involved with agriculture all his life. He is a sophomore at Texas Tech and is majoring in Agricultural and Applied Economics. He also plans to attend law school after he graduates. His favorite parts about becoming a Red Raider were the infectious school spirit, school unity, and Red Raider football. All three recipients expressed their gratitude to PCCA and mentioned how the scholarship helps them financially.
“As a full-time student it is hard to find time to work,” Roberts said. “Even with a part-time job, my income does not make much of an impact on tuition, so the scholarship has been a great relief to my parents.”
“The scholarship has made it easier to balance going to school and working to pay for college,” Willems said.
“Since I am on the meat and wool judging teams, it takes up a lot of my time so it’s hard for me to get a job. This scholarship makes it easier to pay for college,” Marley said.
