December 6, 2024 – Emma Zaicow, a Purdue University student, and Les Voyageurs, a Louisiana State University club, took home the top prizes in the Animal Agriculture Alliance’s 2024 College Aggies Online (CAO) scholarship program. Throughout the nine weeks of the program, $20,000 was awarded in scholarships to participating students and clubs.
The 2024 CAO program had 278 individual participants that shared nearly 2,500 positive and informative posts on social media about agriculture. Thirteen collegiate clubs competed and hosted 36 campus and community events, reaching nearly 5,500 people in person.
CAO is an initiative of the Alliance that connects college students, industry experts, and social media-savvy farmers to engage online about current and emerging issues facing the animal agriculture community. Throughout the competition, students learn how to spread positive, factual information about agriculture and tell their personal stories while actively developing their professional communication skills. In the club division, students host farm tours, campus events, food drives, and more to engage with their peers about agriculture.
“College Aggies Online is a really great opportunity for people to learn more about animal agriculture…and to apply what you’ve learned, whether it’s in the classroom or from doing this program, to be able to explain to consumers what it looks like on a farm, why we do the things we do, and to help people better connect with the food that we eat,” said Zaicow. “I encourage everyone to consider participating in this program, regardless if you want to work in animal agriculture or not.”
The overall winners from the individual division are:
- First place, $3,000 scholarship: Emma Zaicow, Purdue University
- Second place, $2,000 scholarship: Kylie Diaz, Texas A&M University
- Third place, $1,500 scholarship: Taylor Sondgeroth, Auburn University
- Fourth place, $1,000 scholarship: Rachel Robinson, Auburn University
- Fifth place, $500 scholarship: Alexis Main, Oklahoma State University
The overall winners from the club division are:
- First place, $2,000 scholarship: Louisiana State University Les Voyageurs
- Second place, $1,000 scholarship: Tarleton State University Block & Bridle
- Third place, $500 scholarship: Oklahoma State University Pre-Vet Club
Overall individual and club winners will be recognized at the Alliance’s 2025 Stakeholders Summit, set for April 30-May 2 in Arlington, Va. Throughout the program, students also earned smaller scholarships for having the best social media posts, blog posts, infographics, and more. Zaicow was also awarded the “Social Media Rockstar Award” for having the best social post media post in this year’s program.
Individuals who earn at least 1,000 points and clubs that submit at least three events are eligible for the “Excellence Award,” which indicates their commitment to maximizing the opportunities offered by the program to develop their skills. This year’s individual “Excellence Award” recipients are Joselyn Alkire; Michaela Aney; Samantha Behnke; Sydney Beymer; Ally Birt; Sophia Bolser; Emma Brushwood; McKenna Campbell; Guadalupe Ceja; Maritza Cortez; Kylie Diaz; Abby Drebenstedt; Katelyn Foglesong; Emma Fountain; Jayme Fritts; Emma Graddy; Brookelyn Graves; Tatym Green; Taylor Hadl; Ben Haug; Mason Hawk; Ian Hedlund; Meghan Hunderosse; Chrisha Idell; Halie Kohl; Justine Kurpgeweit; Alexis Main; Lydia Markt; Lori McNeill; Mattilyn Mergen; Nadily Merry; Addison Mitchell; Kerrigan Mobley; Kindall Morris; Leticia Orellana; Grace Peterson; Kearsten Peterson; Montana Plattner; Anastasia Poull; Destiny Reyes; Ryan Roberts; Rachel Robinson; Johanna Rojas; Malerie Schutt; Breanna Selsor; Taylor Sondgeroth; Karissa Stanfield; Emily Turpin; Emily Willis; Madison Wolff; and Emma Zaicow. Club recipients include Louisiana State University Les Voyageurs; Tarleton State University Block & Bridle; and Oklahoma State University Pre-Vet Club.
CAO would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors. 2024 sponsors include: Dairy Management Inc., CHS Foundation, National Pork Industry Foundation, National Corn Growers Association, John K. Vanier Foundation, Institute for Feed Education and Research, National Pork Board, Culver Franchising System, LLC, Domino’s Pizza Inc., Ohio Poultry Association, and National Chicken Council.
To learn more about College Aggies Online and to sign up for the 2025 scholarship program, visit https://
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