WAEF Celebrates Students
From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson with today’s Fruit Grower Report. It been a fantastic few weeks for many future college students from the tree fruit industry who are about to realize their dreams.
Tyler Price, Board Chair for the Washington Apple Education Foundation, says they recently awarded college scholarships to a good number of these students …
PRICE … “What started small 30-some-odd years ago has grown into something that’s fairly large. We, just in 2026, this year, awarded over 320 scholarships in the amount of $1.3 million.”
Price says it’s a great opportunity for the industry to give back to those families …
PRICE … “And a lot of them being first-generation college students, they don’t a lot of times have someone to go to, to kind of show them the ropes and show them how to get through different processes and applications and navigate the whole university or trade school kind of route. And so, that’s another thing that WAEF offers is a community, and support to help those students along their journey.”
Price says it’s never been about just giving money away …
PRICE … “It’s not only providing a community, but providing support, you know, career training, resume building, courses on how to build your own personal brand. So really, it’s not just writing a check. It’s ensuring that these kids are successful while they’re at school and after.”
WAEF reports that 85 of their students graduated this year with bachelor’s degrees, associate degrees and technical school certifications.
