MCLEAN, VA. – The Food Processing Suppliers Association’s Dairy Council awarded four scholarships this year to students working toward degrees related to dairy or food science.

Each of the four recipients of the Tom Imbordino Memorial Dairy Science Scholarship will receive $3,500 for the 2022-23 academic year.

Three of the scholarship recipients – Mohamed Elfaruk, Kritika Gaba and Sheetal Jha – attend South Dakota State University, while Grace Marie Clark is a student at Iowa State University.

FPSA Dairy Council chairman Martin Lutz, the chief executive officer of ProLeiT Corp., said the council found the scholarship winners impressive.

“This year’s applications were especially strong, and our four winners truly do represent the ‘cream of the crop,’” Lutz said. “Tom Imbordino, who was a founding member of the FPSA Dairy Council and a champion for young people in the dairy industry, would be especially proud of this group. The remarkable applicants for this year’s scholarship clearly show that the future of this industry is in excellent hands.”

FPSA president and chief executive officer David Seckman said the Tom Imbordino Memorial Dairy Science Scholarship is an important part of the association’s giving back program and made possible by contributions from FPSA members and the dairy council.

“Thanks to these members and participants of the FPSA auction, we are able to assist deserving students in achieving their dreams of a career in the dairy industry,” Seckman said.

The FPSA Dairy Council is governed by a board of directors entirely comprised of volunteers, who review scholarship applications and are involved in selecting each year’s recipients.

The Imbordino scholarship launched in 2021. Applicants are junior or senior level students, or masters or Ph.D candidates in dairy food sciences who attend a university in North America. Scholarship winners are selected based on their academic performance, a commitment to the dairy or food industry and their potential for success.