     The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Panhandle Research and Extension Center has awarded its first annual “Panhandle Research and Extension Center Student Scholarships,” giving $1,000 to each of 3 Panhandle students.
The seed money for the scholarships came from Gering High School taking state and national awards in a national competition of the Samsung Corporation. The Center sponsored the Gering team and was awarded $20,000 by Samsung.
The University of Nebraska President Hank Bounds matched the $20,000 and other gifts and fundraisers, including the recent 2022 Glow Big Red campaign, have provided the funds to begin awarding the scholarships annually.
The three recipients are Laura Albro of Bayard, Faith Miller from Mullen, and Braelyn Shrewsbury from Alliance.
Albro will start at UNL this fall, planning to major in horticulture or agronomy as she works toward a dream of owning a greenhouse/floral shop one day.
Miller, a Nebraska FFA state officer this year, will also be attending UNL. She intends to become a veterinarian and open the first equine surgical facility in the Sandhills.
Shrewsbury also wants to go into the field of animal medicine, but as a veterinary technician. She’s starting at the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture in Curtis with hopes of returning home and working at the Alliance Animal Clinic.