Shalyn Alissa Brown of Columbus is a recipient of the R. Flake Shaw Scholarship, North Carolina Farm Bureau’s top academic award. Brown, a senior at Polk County High School, is the daughter of Chuckie and Rhonda Brown.

“In the fall I will be attending N.C. State to study agriculture,” Brown said. “In the future, I plan to travel to third-world countries and share my knowledge about agriculture [with] the people and help them cultivate their land. I have a passion for agriculture and am confident that no matter what job I pursue, as long as it’s agriculture-related I will be happy.”

The renewable scholarship is valued at $3,750 per year and provides each recipient with a total of $15,000 over four years for tuition, books and other expenses. The scholarship program assists 24 college-level students each year.

The R. Flake Shaw Scholarship Program has awarded more than $3 million in scholarship money to agriculture students since it was founded in 1967.

For more information, please contact Polk County Farm Bureau at 828-894-3320.

– article submitted by Mandy Wolfe