Contact: Maridith Geuder
Four senior horticulture majors at Mississippi State University are receiving half of the eight national scholarships given this year by a floral design association.
The American Institute of Floral Designers Foundation recently presented the awards at a national symposium in Orlando, Fla. Amounts ranged from $500 to $2,000.
Ashley M. Grogan of Starkville is receiving a $2,000 scholarship. Will H. Lewis of Greenville, Scott Reed of West Point and Rita Rowell of Shelby, Ala., are each $500 award selections.
Rowell also won honorable mention in the dried floral design category of the student competition.
Chosen by a panel of national AIFD members, the MSU recipients are joined by four winners from Ohio State University and the University of Massachusetts. Academic achievement and floral industry interests are among the factors considered in naming the scholars.
AIFD is a nonprofit organization established in 1965 to recognize and promote the art of floral design as a professional career. In addition to more than 1,200 members worldwide, it includes student chapters at Mississippi State and 12 other universities and colleges.
The AIFD Foundation was created to provide assistance to college students pursuing an education in horticulture/floriculture with an emphasis in floral design.