Three awarded county fair scholarships

Three area high school seniors have each been awarded a $1,000 scholarship by Yuma County Fair Inc.

Chosen from a group of 20 students who had applied for the scholarships are Bailey Harken, a 17-year-old senior at Cibola; Sabrina Hall, an 18-year-old senior at Kofa; and Alexandria Eatherly, an 18-year-old senior at Yuma High.

“We had more applicants than ever in the history of the Yuma County Fair,” said Stacey Miles, 2011-2012 fair board president. “The committee had a hard time choosing.”

Harken has been an active member of the 4-H and FFA programs, is senior vice president at Cibola and has maintained a grade-point average of 3.6.

She cited her involvement with the Yuma County Fair over the years for her success and said she will continue to do her best to stay involved with the organization in the future.

“After furthering my education, I would love to come back and be a community club leader or pig leader and help out as much as I can. I feel it is important to give back to the program that has given so much to me and has shaped me into he person I am today.”

After graduation in May, Harken will attend the Yuma School of Beauty to obtain a cosmetology license. She will also attend Arizona Western College to study business in hopes of opening her own hair salon.

“It is kind of difficult to find scholarships for beauty school, so this one will fit in just right,” she said.

Hall has been involved in both 4-H and FFA and has a 3.71 grade-point average at Kofa.

“I've been involved in this fair since before I can even remember, and this is a really great opportunity,” she said. “In a way I feel that my fair participation is an investment that ties me in to both the history as well as the future of the fair, creating a sense of tradition and community.”

Hall will attend the University of Arizona in the fall where she will study agriculture economics and business.

Once she receives her degree, she intends to do “whatever leads me back to Yuma because that's where I want to be when I am done with school.”

Eatherly has been involved in 4-H, FFA and student council. She has also been on the varsity golf and basketball teams at Yuma High and was the captain of the swim team in 2011. She currently has a weighted GPA of 3.813.

Her short-term goal is to work as the cattle intern at the JBS feedyard in Roll this summer. She will then attend the UA, where she will use the scholarship money to pay for tuition and books.

During her time at the university, she will study animal livestock production and American sustainability. Once she has a degree, she hopes to return to Yuma and work for JBS.

“This scholarship will help me complete my studies and bring my knowledge, power, drive and dedication back to the Yuma community and the agricultural industry.”

Chris McDaniel can be reached at cmcdaniel@yumasun.com or 539-6849.