“With these awards we honor horticulture’s best and brightest,” said Paul Ecke III, president of the Shinoda Foundation. “We know as they grow, the industry will grow with them—and that’s an immeasurable investment.”

The Shinoda Foundation Board of Trustees awarded 11 scholarships this year totaling $19,500. In addition, to further advance horticulture education nationwide, the Foundation sends a portion of the awards to educational institutions. Winners’ academic departments receive 10% of the awards to students in their department. This year’s college and university awards total $1,950, bringing the total distribution to $21,450.

The Foundation selects its recipients based on rigorous criteria including career goals, academics, work experience, extracurricular activities and need.

Shinoda Foundation Scholarships

2012-13 recipients of the Shinoda Foundation Scholarships include:

Kathleen Collins, Senior, Colorado State University, $1,500
Lucas Fedechko, Senior, Pennsylvania State University, $1,500
Kelly Hermann, Junior, University of Missouri – Columbia, $1,500
Adam Ingrao, Senior, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, $2,500
Sarah Leach, Senior, North Carolina State University, $2,500
Jessie Nielsen, Sophomore, University of Nebraska – Lincoln, $1,000
Kristin Potter, Sophomore, University of Nebraska – Lincoln, $1,000
Billy Rose, Junior, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, $2,000
Ryanna Zoellner, Junior, University of Georgia, $2,000
Floral Design Scholarships

The Shinoda Design Center awards scholarships recognizing exceptional floral design majors at community colleges in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Diego Counties. For 2012-13, Noemi Garcia of Southwestern College (Chula Vista) received $500.

Los Angeles Flower Market Scholarship

Adam Ingrao, a student at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo is the recipient of this year’s Los Angeles Flower Market Scholarship. The award was created through the Foundation’s directed scholarship program, which provides a simple way to make a lasting tribute to a cherished family member or colleague, or to recognize the importance of an entire company.

California Floral Council Scholarship

This year’s recipient of the California Floral Council (CFC) Scholarship is Billy Rose of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. CFC President Hardy Neuendorff created the annual award in 2005 to help offset rising education costs.

About the Joseph Shinoda Memorial Scholarship Foundation

The Shinoda Foundation was established in 1964 under the auspices of the California State Florists’ Association in memory of the late Joseph Shinoda, a highly regarded pioneer of that state’s floral industry. The foundation’s purpose is to encourage educational opportunities for young people interested in entering the industry. Incorporated as a separate entity in 1972, the foundation has awarded scholarships valued at more than $760,000 to nearly 650 undergraduate floriculture students since 1965.

Information about applications for the Shinoda Foundation’s scholarships is sent each January to horticulture and floriculture departments at universities across the nation. Applications are available on the foundation’s website and accepted from January until March 30 each year.

Information about making contributions to the foundation or about its scholarship program can be obtained from its website, www.shinodascholarship.org, or by writing to: Joseph Shinoda Memorial Scholarship Foundation Inc., 962 Pecho St., Morro Bay, CA 93442, or Pat Broering at pbroerin@gmail.com.

“For college and university students planning careers in floriculture, the Shinoda scholarships present an enviable opportunity for advancement,” says Paul Ecke III, president of the Joseph Shinoda Memorial Scholarship Foundation. “Through them our industry invests in the future, sowing the seeds for a lifetime of success.”

The Shinoda Foundation Scholarships, including the prestigious Shinoda Scholar of the Year, are bestowed annually. Two additional scholarships honor top floral design students: the Shinoda Design Center Scholarship and the Jimmy Shinoda Memorial Scholarship, which support California community colleges in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Diego counties.

To be considered for any of these awards, students must complete and return the application by March 30, 2013. Winners will be announced by the Shinoda Foundation later in the spring.

Winners of the scholarships, named in honor of California floral industry pioneer Joseph Shinoda, have gone on to become leaders in floriculture. Among the former beneficiaries are Andy Higgins, president of Ecke Ranch, Encinitas, Calif., and Royal D. Heins, horticulture professor emeritus at Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mich.

The foundation has assisted more than 600 students with a total of more than $740,000 since Richard Tsukushi of Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo, and George Field of University of California, Davis, received the first Shinoda Scholarships in 1965.

Undergraduates in accredited colleges, universities, and California community colleges are eligible. Preference will be given to applicants who have indicated a strong commitment of furthering their education in the field of floriculture (production, research, retail, floral education, floral design, and sales and marketing).
Find downloadable forms and detailed information on the 2013-2014 scholarships at www.shinodascholarship.org. Beginning in mid-January, information will also be available from horticulture department offices at colleges and universities across the nation.

Information about making contributions to the foundation or about its scholarship program can be obtained from its website www.shinodascholarship.org.