This year, the following students from Sussex County were awarded scholarships from the Milton Garden Club: Arely Arriaga-Gonzalez, Laurel High School, Brayden Hearn, Laurel High School, Anna Fantoli, Cape Henlopen High School and Emily Mendoza, Delaware State University.
Arely Arriaga-Gonzalez and Brayden Hearn each received a $1500 scholarship through a donation in memory of Herb Flickinger. Arely maintained a 4.0 academic average through her junior year and a 4.26 average her senior year, in addition to helping run her school’s flower shop and managing the school’s greenhouse. She has also competed in the Delaware FFA State Convention for Floriculture and was a Junior Advisor in the school’s FFA Chapter. Arely is attending Cornell University where she plans to learn more about sustainable agriculture. She hopes to use her education to someday operate her own flower farm on the Eastern Shore with indigenous and sustainable ways of agriculture.
Brayden maintained the responsibilities of a B-average student-athlete while being active in his school’s FFA Chapter serving in several officer positions and the Laurel Pop Warner Football program. Brayden lives on a small family farm that raises livestock, grows produce for their roadside stand and wholesale products for local businesses in the community. Brayden is attending Delaware Valley University studying Agri Business.
Anna Fantoli received the $3000 Milton Garden Club High School Scholarship in memory of Rita Smith. Anna has volunteered for the Milton Garden Club, Mill Pond Garden and Cape Henlopen State Park among others. She has also worked at Lavendar Fields beginning as a farm hand and working her way up to overseeing the lavender harvest this past season. Prior to her graduation from Cape Henlopen High School, Anna was very active in FFA. Anna’s love of plants and flowers has grown into a passion for the environment and has led her to her goal of studying forestry and horticultural science at the University of Vermont.
Emily Mendoza received the $3000 Milton Garden Club Post Secondary Scholarship in memory of Joseph Milton Lank. She is a senior Plant Science major at Delaware State University having completed her associate in applied science at Delaware Tech. Upon graduation she hopes to pursue her master’s in agriculture at Delaware State. Emily would like to work for several years in a nursery or on a farm and ultimately open her own nursery where she could grow fruits and vegetables and flowers.
L-R: Anna Fantoli, Pat Stone – Committee member, Emily Mendoza, Carol Mertes-Smith – Committee Chair
L-R: Brayden Hearn, Pat Stone – Committee member, Carol Mertes-Smith – Committee Chair, Arely Arriaga-Gonzalez, Louise Huntley – Committee member, Diane Lockwood – Committee member
