Two Cal Poly students awarded first Salmonson agriculture scholarships

BRANDT said this week it awarded the inaugural John & Carol Salmonson Scholarship for Excellence in Agriculture at Cal Poly to Omar Alexander Gonzalez Benitez and Kristen Fernandez, first generation students in the College of Agriculture, Food & Environmental Sciences.

“Carol and I are thrilled to be a small part of helping these two deserving students pursue their dreams," John Salmonson said. "Both Kristen and Omar are outstanding students who, I’m sure, will be leaders in the ag field one day. We are very fortunate to have partnered with BRANDT on this scholarship. We believe strongly in helping bring along the next generation.”

Each student will receive a $10,000 scholarship.

The scholarship was established with matching funds from John and Carol Salmonson and BRANDT. Applicants for the scholarship must be California residents, academically successful and have a financial need. The scholarship is open to students in Cal Poly's College of Agriculture, Food & Environmental Sciences.

“We helped fund this scholarship as a way to say ‘thank you’ to John and Carol for all their years of service to BRANDT and for building Monterey AgResouces,” BRANDT CEO & President Rick Brandt said. “It says a lot about John that giving back to deserving students at Cal Poly was the thanks that meant the most to them. They are just extraordinary people who built a great company. And I’m proud to say that Omar and Kristen are extraordinary students.”