ABOVE PHOTO: Eli Staudinger of Valders High School
Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative is investing in the future of the next generation through its annual scholarship program. Five young adults will receive $2,000 scholarship awards to pursue higher education. Two scholarships will be awarded to students currently enrolled in college or university, and three scholarships will be awarded to graduating high school seniors.
This year’s recipients include high school seniors Olivia Killian of Whitehall Memorial High School, Eli Staudinger of Valders High School and Joseph Peterson of Providence Academy, and current college students Katelyn Meinholz of the University of Wisconsin Platteville and Brady Gille of the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.
Each student is a dependent of an Edge member and has demonstrated outstanding academic achievement, leadership and participation in school and community activities, academic honors, goals and aspirations, recommendations and work experience.
Killian grew up on her family’s farm, Dirt Road Farms in Blair, Wis., where she developed a passion for understanding technology and innovative engineering.
“As I am set to attend UW-River Falls for Agricultural Engineering in the fall, it is not just a step forward, but a leap towards shaping myself to be the best I can be,” Killian said.
Staudinger’s family dairy farm, Blue Royal Dairy in Reedsville, Wis., played a prominent role in shaping his educational goals. He plans to attend the University of Wisconsin River Falls in the fall to pursue a degree in dairy science with the goal of one day becoming the next-generation owner of his family’s farm.
Growing up on his family’s dairy farm, Creamery Creek Holsteins in Bangor, Wis., Peterson knows the value of hard work and determination. He plans to obtain a degree in business management and use his strong work ethic to open his own business in the future.
Meinholz grew up on Blue Star Dairy Farms in Deforest, Wis., where she fostered her love for agriculture and continued to pursue that in her education.
“I will be going into my third year at UW-Platteville and am currently pursuing a degree in Agribusiness,” Meinholz said. “After school, I plan to go back to the farm and continue in my father’s footsteps. The dairy industry has given me so much and I hope to someday be able to give it back.”
Gille considers himself a young dairy enthusiast with a drive to help educate others about the dairy community. After graduating from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, he aspires to become a third-generation owner of Gille Jersey Dairy in Sobieski, Wis.
