Three Porterville students have received scholarships from one of the nation’s largest pistachio grower in honor of Earth Day.
The big picture: Setton Farms, the nation’s second-largest pistachio grower and processor, announced the recipients of its first annual Earth Day scholarship contest.
- The three students awarded the scholarship are John Cemo, Kassandra Baez and Kayla Gutierrez of Harmony Magnet Academy. They received $5,000, $2,500 and $1,000 awards, respectively.
Driving the news: Setton Farms asked the students to create a project focused on sustainability in th eCentral Valley. Students submitted paintings, sculptures and animations with a video or essay showing how their work demonstrated the importance of sustainability.
- The submissions were judged on originality, creativity and how well they incorporated the topic of sustainability into their projects. Setton executives, pistachio growers and school representatives made up the judging panel.
- In addition to the top three awards, Setton Farms handed out honorable mention awards of $250 to nine other students.
What they’re saying: Harmony Magnet Principal Jeff Brown said the community is inspired by the work that the students have done.
- “Without the partnership of Setton Farms, this would not have been possible,” Brown said. ”We are truly grateful for their generous support in advancing our ‘Creating Opportunities and Changing Lives’ mission.”
- Setton Farms COO Mia Cohen added, “We are so inspired by and grateful for the members of our amazing community. In return, our goal is to support students in their pursuit of a college education, and our hope is that this scholarship contest will bring sustainability awareness to the future leaders of our community.”
