Foundation board names 7 scholarship recipients

The mission of the Northwest Washington Fair is to financially support agricultural education and the enhancement and preservation of the Fair. This year, the foundation’s board of directors named 7 recipients of its annual scholarships: Mia Apps, Faith Bartl, Grace Kroontje, Mackenzie McGary, Ayanna Miranda, Lydia Rodriguez and Maclay Van Soest.

Mia Apps

My parents are Jennifer and Aaron Apps. I am a graduate of Lynden High School. I will be a sophomore at University of Idaho and am pursuing a degree in agricultural education.

I chose this degree because I am incredibly passionate about agriculture and teaching kids how and where food comes from.

I am convinced that every person needs to know the basics of agriculture and there is no better way to make sure that people know about agriculture than to be the one teaching it.

My involvement in the fair included showing hogs and heifers through FFA, along with livestock and horses judging and helping out with the dairy judging.

I also have entered my artwork and photography in the fair since I was about 5 years old. Life lessons learned from this involvement include: learning how to work hard and be responsible not only for myself but also for all my animals that I brought with me.

Raising livestock is not an easy task and it has helped me gain a lot of respect for farmers.

I learned how to manage money when it came to the auction and getting addons from local businesses.

e biggest thing that I have learned from my involvement is to always have a good attitude no matter what happens, I have had years where my hogs have gotten sick the day before the fair and I am not able to show and I have had to learn to be exible and look for the good in every situation no matter how hard it might be.

My favorite memories of the fair are getting to spend a whole two weeks with some of my best friends doing what I love most in the world, showing my animals and seeing how my hard work pays o .

I love staying up to the wee hours of the night and waking up at the crack of dawn to pitch out my stalls and doing stall duties.

Most of all I live when people walk through the barns and ask me a million questions about my animals because I love to inform the public about what I’m doing and why I love doing it.

Faith Bartl

My parents are Craig and Lisa Bartl. I am a graduate of Nooksack Valley High School.

I will attend Baylor University in the fall to pursue a degree in nursing. I chose this degree because I am passionate about science and giving back to people, and nursing is a great career that combines both of those aspects.

My involvement in the fair included helping with the weighing of pigs, cows, chickens, turkeys, etc.

For FFA and 4H and attending the carnival with friends and family.

Life lessons learned from this involvement include I learned that everybody plays an important role in a team.

When I was helping weigh livestock, each person who was there had a certain job, and the whole system would not work if only one person wasn’t doing their job.

My favorite memories of the fair are going to the carnival with my friends and family to celebrate the end of summer and the beginning of a new school year.

Grace Kroontje

My names are John and Lesa Kroontje, and I am graduating from Lynden Christian High School. I will attend Western Washington University in the fall to pursue a degree in Biology.

I chose this degree because it has always been my favorite subject and my plans are to head into the medical eld and it aligns with that path.

My involvement in the fair has involved showing both beef and dairy cows as well as volunteering in various areas such as the small animal experience.

Life lessons that I have learned from this involvement are how to share and teach people with little knowledge about the subject things that are an integral part of our community.

I also learned the value of hard work, and how the more time and work you put into your projects the better the results will be; however, working with animals, they have a mind of their own, and you have to always be ready for the unexpected.

My favorite memories of the fair are teaching little kids who may have never seen a cow, about what they are and what they do.

I also remember feeling like the coolest person holding my clubs 4-H banner in the parade when I was little.

Mackenzie McGary

My parents are Chris and Ti any McGary. I am a graduate of Ferndale High School. I will be a senior at Washington State University and am pursuing a degree in Agricultural Education.

I chose this degree because I am passionate about agriculture and want to make an impact on future generations and teach them the importance of agriculture.

My involvement in the fair included showing breeding and market sheep for many years in both 4H and FFA as well as several submissions in the stilllife exhibit. I was also a 4H leader after graduating high school.

Life lessons learned from this involvement include responsibility for caring for animals, being open to learning from others, and helping those around me even if I was competing against them.

My favorite memories of the fair are spending time in the barns with members of my 4H and FFA chapter as well as other chapters, going to the rodeo and demo derby, and cheering on other exhibitors.

I also loved getting to watch younger members of my 4H club improve over the years and help other kids, including my younger siblings.

Ayanna Miranda

My parents are Reyna Juarez and Daniel Miranda Carmona I am a graduate of Nooksack Valley High School.

I will attend Whatcom Community College and pursue a degree in Organic and Sustainable Agriculture.

I chose this degree because agriculture is something that deeply interests me and I would also like to help my parents in the future as they also have their own crops.

My involvement in the fair includes my attendance each year. Life lessons that I have learned from this involvement is that Whatcom County is deeply intertwined with agriculture.

And that it is important to take a break and have fun with my friends and family. My favorite memories at the fair include going on the Zipper with my friends and going on one that spins a lot.

Like last year I went with one of my friends and we had our phones in our pockets and we had to grab them before they started to spin in the cage with us.

Lydia Rodriguez

My parents are Hendor and Janelle Rodriguez. I am a graduate of Lynden High School.

I will be a junior at University of Idaho and am pursuing a degree in Animal Science: Pre-Vet.

I chose this degree because when I was young my grandparents had a dairy farm and I always enjoyed taking care of the calves or the sick ones.

Treating them and making sure they were all right was my highest concern.

Ever since then I have always enjoyed working with animals and taking care of them. When I started working at Grace Harbor Farms as a dairy goat herd manager, my desire for this degree grew as I was able to be hands on with the goats health, diet, and milkings.

My involvement in the fair included showing dairy heifers, a pig and volunteer event as the Whatcom Dairy Ambassador Alternate 2021-2022.

Life lessons learned from this involvement include: at hard work pays o and to keep pushing forward.

My favorite memories of the fair are the friendships you build from showing animals and of course all the fun rides.

Maclay Van Soest

My parents are Jamie and Larissa Van Soest. I am a graduate of Lynden Christian High School.

I will attend Columbia Basin College in the fall to pursue a degree in agribusiness.

I chose this degree because I have been raised on a farm my whole life, my interest in agriculture continues to grow, and I am passionate about wanting to continue agriculture for the future as the population is still growing with fewer people getting involved in it.

My involvement in the fair included showing livestock animals, beef and hogs, and selling them at the Lynden Junior Livestock sale.

Life lessons learned from this involvement include time management, money management, determination, perseverance, patience, hard work, and many other skills and lessons.

My favorite memories of the fair are showing the younger kids how to take care of and show their animals and teaching the public about my project and agriculture in general.