The Florida Seed Association is excited to announce the recipients of the 2019-2020 FSA/SSA University of Florida Scholarships

It is with great pleasure the Florida Seed Association & Southern Seed Association announce the recipients of the FSA & SSA Scholarships. Florida Seed looks forward to many more years of awarding academic scholarships to deserving agronomy and horticulture students at the University of Florida, who take an active interest in vegetables, plants, conservation, and resource management.

The Florida Seed Association’s Scholarship Committee is proud to announce the 5 award recipients of $1,000 each for College:

Agronomy Scholarship award recipients:

Philip Daly is a plant science undergraduate student at the University of Florida specializing in sustainable crop production. He is passionate about conservation, soil, and resource management. Philip has been involved in the Boy Scouts of America since a young age and is Eagle Scout. During the last two years, he has worked part-time at the UF Plant Diagnostic Center as a lab assistant. In this time he has gained interest in extension work and working in a field that aims to help agriculture producers. pdaly@ufl.edu

William Donaghy is a plant science student at the University of Florida specializing in sustainable crop production. William belongs to an eighth-generation Florida logging family from Jacksonville Florida and grew up working on an agritourism operation. He is involved in campus initiatives such as the Agronomy Soils Club, the Challenge 2050 program, the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences Ambassadors, and the Collegiate Farm Bureau. William has worked on research in environmental horticulture. He is now working on nutrient uptake in peanut for his undergraduate honors thesis. He hopes to pursue his M.S. in agroecology. william.donaghy@ufl.edu 

Nicole Jahrmarkt is a plant science student specializing in sustainable crop production at the University of Florida. Nicole is expected to graduate this fall and after graduation, is looking to pursue her interest in soil management and conservation by working for the NRCS. She has spent the past year working in the crop physiology lab on campus assisting graduate students in fieldwork and greenhouse experiments studying annual peanut and sesame. Nicole has been an active member of the Agronomy Soils Club for the past two years and is very appreciative of all of the opportunities, experiences, and friendships the club has given her during her time at the University of Florida. njahrmarkt@ufl.edu

Pictured, from left: James Galante (President), Philip Daly, and Wayne Cline (Past President)

Horticulture Scholarship award recipients:

Tamara Serrano

Tamara Serrano is a student majoring in Horticultural Science at the University of Florida with a minor in Soil and Water Sciences, and she’s originally from Long Island, NY. Her interest in plants most likely began from a video game when she was a child when her father bought her a farm simulation role-playing video game called, “Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life.” At the University of Florida, Tamara has been attending school full-time while working two jobs. Her ultimate goal is to help those suffering from depression find solace in nature just as she did.

Amber Newsome is a 3rd-year horticultural science major specializing in organic crop production at the University of Florida. She grew up in Jacksonville, Florida without much exposure to agriculture but with a love for the outdoors and, later, a hobby for plant collecting. her plant collecting hobby drew her to a vegetable gardening elective which changed the trajectory of her entire college career. She is particularly interested in breeding citrus trees for greater resistance to Huanglongbing, making use of the latest genetic technology to help combat the negative effects of our rapidly changing climate.


On behalf of the Florida Seed Association and the Scholarship Committee, we heartily congratulate the award recipients and wish all the applicants continued success in their educational endeavors. Congratulations!