GRANTS, NM (Wednesday, May 7, 2025) The National FFA Organization awarded the Georgia M. Hellberg Memorial Scholarship for $5,000 to Riko Valencia of the Grants FFA Chapter. Riko plans to use the funds to pursue a degree in Rangeland Sciences at New Mexico State University.
“We’re excited for Riko to receive this scholarship, because it’s a great opportunity to help offset the cost of higher education, highlighting the experiences that come from FFA and agriculture,” says Grants FFA Advisor, Amador Gonzales. This generous funding comes from individuals, businesses, and corporate sponsors to encourage excellence and enable students to pursue their educational goals. Scholarships support either two-year or four-year degrees as well as vocational programs and range in size from $500 to full tuition for four years. Riko is the first member of the Grants FFA Chapter to receive a scholarship from the National FFA Organization.
The 2024-2025 scholarship recipients were selected from 7,761 applicants from across the country. This year, the National FFA Organization supported 1,178 students through their scholarship program. Currently, 405 sponsors and donors have contributed close to $2.8 million to support scholarships for students. Selections were based on the applicant’s leadership, academic record, FFA and other school and community activities, supervised agricultural or work experience in agricultural education, and future goals.