2025 Scholarship Recipient
Grace Finnerty
The following, excerpted from her scholarship application, clearly demonstrates why the selection panel selected Grace for the scholarship:
Educational focus
Here is her answer in response to our question: What is your educational focus.
“I started my degree with a focus on Plant Science, and while that focus has continued, I have also added a focus in soil science. I care deeply about food security and environmental stewardship and agriculture seems the perfect bridge between these two goals. I am inspired by the tremendous impact that agriculture has on the world and our environment. I am eager to learn about ways that we can grow more per acre to feed the world and minimize agricultural land area while also growing this food in a way that is healthy for communities and the environment. After taking a basic soils course at the University, I was completely fascinated by the connections between our soil’s health and our ability to produce food. I was stunned by the ways that soil erosion has historically led to major environmental issues and impeded our ability to grow food.
The current focus of my degree has been in plant breeding and soil science. These educational interests have been reinforced through my work in perennial plant breeding and soil health labs, though I have also discovered that my passion lies more in communication of the research that we work on and encouraging adoption of sustainable practices. I am interested in learning more about soil health, precision agriculture, plant breeding for environmental and human health, communication and outreach, and agroecology with the remainder of my degree. I am also interested in the ways that we can encourage sustainable agricultural practices through economics.”
Future Plans
Her answer in response to our question: Where do you see yourself in the future.
“Ultimately, I would like my career to be a vocation shaped by the community I serve and the issues I am passionate about. I would like to use my talent and interest in communication to serve the public directly through extension, farmer-facing roles in an agricultural company, the state government soil and water
conservation districts, or farmer peer networks and non-profits. I envision a career where I work with farmers in my community to implement sustainable agricultural practices on their land.
When working in the private sector, sustainable practices are important not only for the community but also for the reputation of the company and trust in the product or service provided. Over the course of my career, I would like to help establish networks for sharing new agricultural information, increase food security, and advocate for sustainable farming practice adoption. This may manifest itself in working toward soil health practice adoption, development of more environmentally friendly chemicals and application rates, breeding plants that require fewer inputs, sharing the newest research with farmers through field days, or organizing peer networks for farmers to share their successes and challenges. I would like to take leadership roles so that I can help to expand the impact and effectiveness of sustainable agriculture programs. I will strive to make connections between these practices and the long term benefit for farmers and the community.
I am also interested in exploring the connection between plant/soil science and construction of clean energy. My experiences in the past year have opened my eyes to the importance of community. I hope that wherever I end up working in my field, that I can establish trust in the communities where I work and in the science I share. I hope that from this place of trust I can start to work with others to implement sustainable practices that are good for the land and the people who live there.
Excerpts from her teacher’s Letter of Recommendation
points to the person for which this scholarship is targeted:
...In the Agroecosystems of the World class, Grace quickly stood out as a leader in class discussions. Her ability to thoughtfully engage with not only her peers, but our guest speakers from around the world was truly impressive...
...She has a diverse volunteer portfolio that highlights her passion for climate action and justice. Her work with policy makers, both through University and government initiatives, reflects her passion for making meaningful change...
...I am constantly impressed by Grace’s level of active engagement with policy makers as an undergraduate —she does not shy away from engaging in tough conversations with powerful people...
...In addition to the skill sets Grace brings from her academic engagement and volunteer work, she also has training in research. This past summer, Grace split her time between two research labs, one focused on questions related to soil health and the other on breeding perennial grains. During these experiences, Grace learned both technical skills along with time management. Moving between two labs with different research foci, expectations, and responsibilities while also completing course work is no small feat for many undergraduates...
...In addition, you can be confident that Grace will live up to the advocacy aim of your program’s mission, as she has already dedicated herself to advocacy within the Twin Cities. Grace
already embodies so much of what your program stands for, and I strongly believe she is an excellent
candidate for this scholarship...
Ms. Finnerty is a senior at University of Minnesota this fall.
Grace receives $5,000.00 for the upcoming school year—thanks to our donors.
The review panel of seven, managed by the Rochester Area Foundation, unanimously agreed that Grace has the qualities we are looking for in the Scholarship recipients:
1. Have a demonstrated strong interest in and commitment to completely sustainable (as pertains to economic, social and environmental issues—combined) agricultural and/or forestry practices.
2. Be committed to protecting and preserving our natural resources and related economic and social condition.
3. Have strong communication skills.
4. Possess leadership characteristics.
5. Priority will be given to students active in agriculture/forestry also outside of school.