May 30, 2024

AFE celebrates the 2024 Paul Ecke, Jr. and Altman Family scholars

Six individuals dedicated to the horticulture industry have excelled in their fields, earning them scholar status in two prestigious educational funding programs through the American Floral Endowment (AFE). 

The Paul Ecke, Jr. and Altman Family scholarships help fund the education of full-time graduate students pursuing a career in horticulture or floriculture. Those who receive the scholarships are rewarded for their accomplishments as they continue working toward growth in the industry.

“The goal of AFE is to support young professionals and help them in their journeys as they become the next generation of innovators and leaders in the industry. These endowed scholarships are at the heart of the mission of our organization, and we are honored to help support these post-graduate students who are standouts among their peers,” said Debi Chedester, executive director for AFE.

Paul Ecke, Jr. Scholars

Savannah Mead, West Virginia University

Mead said she is grateful for the opportunities AFE has given her, including the chance to attend her first industry-related conference. She was the recipient of the Altman Family Scholarship in 2023. She is excited to delve deeper into her research through the Paul Ecke, Jr. scholarship, which she said goes far beyond financial assistance.

“The scholarship is important financially, but I also think it serves as a boost of confidence. Receiving the honor shows me that what I am doing is important. It helps me feel better about the impact of my research. It inspires me to move the industry forward,” Mead said.

Jack Bobo, North Carolina State University

It was during his Doctorate program at North Carolina State University (NCSU) that in 2023, Bobo received the first year of the Paul Ecke, Jr. scholarship.

“Being a part of this scholarship and this ability to do more research has been incredible,” said Bobo, who was approved for his second year of funding this year after submitting a first-year report, a requirement for all scholarship recipients. 

“One of the most exciting things has been that earlier this year, my lab hosted a visit from AFE. I got to meet the people who chose me for this award. The Paul Ecke, Jr. scholarship is the first real scholarship I have ever received, so it was so formative for me because it was an outside source compounding the affirmation. It has really encouraged me to move forward,” said Bobo.

Jessica Brown, Michigan State University

Brown began her academic career at Western Michigan University where she earned her bachelor’s degree in biomedical science.

While she plans to finish her biomedical degree, Brown set her sights on graduate school at Michigan State University, where horticulture is her focus.

Brown said the financial assistance from the Altman Family Scholarship will be a tremendous gift to her education and research. She said it also provides an opportunity for her to make up for lost time in terms of industry learning.

Altman Family Scholars

Manjot Sidhu, Michigan State University

As a graduate student, Sidhu has had the opportunity to strengthen her leadership skills by conducting floricultural trials to study herbicide and fungicide efficacies and testing the chemicals for their phytotoxic effects on floricultural crops.

With the financial help from the Altman Family Scholarship, Sidhu plans to use the funds to purchase a statistical software license and citation manager software and attend the American Society for Horticulture Science annual conference set for September in Honolulu, Hawaii. 

“Being awarded a scholarship by the American Floral Endowment is such an honor. It adds so much value to my career just being affiliated with AFE. I am so proud of that,” she said.

Greta Gallina, University of Georgia

Gallina found horticulture while she was a student studying biology at the University of Florida. She enjoyed the lessons that involved plants in some of her classes. However, it was a class dedicated to plant sciences that piqued her interest in the industry as a whole.

Now, as a graduate student working toward a Ph.D. in horticulture at the University of Georgia, Gallina focuses on ornamental plant breeding and genetics. She is grateful to be an Altman Family Scholarship recipient to help move her goals forward.

Hamarit Gill, Texas A&M University

During Gill’s bachelor’s degree in agriculture at Punjab Agricultural University in India, Gill was introduced to farmers in a rural region of the country during a Rural Awareness Work Experience (RAWE) program where she discovered the prevalent practice of monocropping, particularly with wheat and paddy.

Gill said she is equipping herself with all the tools she can to apply her research and disseminate it globally to nursery growers to help them move forward in the industry. She is grateful to be one of the Altman Family Scholarship recipients and plans to become a member of AFE’s Young Professionals Council.

To learn more about our Paul Ecke, Jr. and Altman Family Scholarships and to apply, visit endowment.org/resource/msphd-apply.

To learn more about AFE or how you can support floriculture programs, visit endowment.org.