A Fort Valley State University student will receive $1,250 per semester in scholarship funds for the next four semesters.
Charles Waller III, a junior agricultural economics major from Macon, is a recipient of the National Crop Insurance Services (NCIS) Scholarship. Founded in 1915, NCIS is a not-for-profit organization representing interests of private crop insurance companies. Dr. Lawrence Crane currently heads NCIS.
To be eligible for the scholarship, the student must be a U.S. citizen enrolled as a full-time student at an 1890 Land-Grant University. The student must also declare a major in an agricultural field, maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 and completed their sophomore year of school.
Waller said he found out about the scholarship from his advisor, Dr. Mohammed Ibrahim, coordinator of FVSU’s Agricultural Economics Program. “Once I received the scholarship, I felt honored and blessed because it’s not too many people that can get scholarships and extra money to help out when it comes to school,” Waller said.
Waller, a participant in FVSU’s Army Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) Program, wants to pursue a career as a JAG (Judge Advocate General’s Corps) officer, the military’s legal branch, after graduation. He says it is a dream for him to go to law school, and tie that experience back into his undergraduate major.
“I feel great and I feel he deserves it,” said Ibrahim concerning his student earning the scholarship. The FVSU agriculture economics professor says he always encourages his students to do well academically.
He (Ibrahim) says one never knows when an opportunity is going to occur, and people are always looking for individuals with GPA’s of 3.0 or above. “I would like to thank Dr. Lawrence Crane and the NCIS for believing in giving Waller this rare opportunity,” Ibrahim said.
For more information about academic scholarships or the agricultural economics program, contact Ibrahim or Jackie Whitehead, program assistant at (478) 825-6815 or ibrahimm@fvsu.edu or whitehej@fvsu.edu.