To support young, aspiring ag professionals, the National Agri-Marketing Association, Eastern Chapter, presented its first annual student award grant at New York City’s John Bowne High School graduation awards ceremony on May 31, 2007. Wendy Elliot, Pfizer Animal Health, presented the award to graduating senior Alida Sanabria. Alida is an animal science major in John Bowne’s specialized agriculture program and is active in the student FFA chapter. Alida will enter the pre-veterinary science program at Cornell University this fall.

Gibbs & Soell Public Relations matched the NAMA grant amount, resulting in a total award of $600.

Steven Perry, assistant principal and director of agriculture of John Bowne High School, says, “Our school welcomes the involvement of groups like NAMA through this special award program. Alida worked especially hard to achieve her academic successes and has wanted to be a veterinarian since she was six years old. The NAMA award will help in moving Alida closer to her goal at Cornell.”

John Bowne High School is located in Queens, NY. The school’s specialized agriculture program is nationally recognized as an outstanding urban agricultural education offering. One of the unique aspects of the program is the relationship between classroom instruction and hands-on experience. During the school year, students take classes in plant science and animal science, in addition to courses in traditional academic subjects. Students develop their agricultural experience on the school’s land laboratory and in both urban and rural agriculture jobs during the summers. John Bowne graduates go on to agricultural and technical colleges and many out-of-state institutions throughout the northeast before establishing themselves in leadership positions in agricultural professions.

Earlier that evening, the Eastern Chapter convened for its summer chapter meeting at CIBO Restaurant in NYC.

For more information, please e-mail Catherine Wang at [email protected].