Students Receive Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association Scholarships

Feb. 7, 2011—Four students in the horticultural studies program at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls recently received scholarships sponsored by the Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association (MNLA) Foundation.

Scholarship recipients are Lindsay Heggemeyer, a junior horticulture major from New Prague, Minn.; Joanna Kusilek, a senior horticulture major from Baldwin; Heather Lee, a senior horticulture major from Milaca, Minn.; and Brita Thompson, a senior from Hillsdale.

The MNLA scholarship program recognizes outstanding students enrolled in horticulture or landscape studies programs at several area colleges and universities. The scholarships are designed by MNLA and its member companies to help grow future leaders in the nursery and landscape industry.

Four MNLA member firms co-sponsored the scholarships for the UWRF students. Bailey Nurseries, based in St. Paul, Minn., sponsored the scholarship for Kusilek. Gerten’s, based in Inver Grove Heights, Minn., sponsored the scholarship for Lee. The Robin D. Linder Memorial Scholarship program, honoring the former owner of Linder’s Garden Center and Greenhouse, sponsored the scholarship for Heggemeyer. Mickman Brothers, Inc., based in Ham Lake, Minn. sponsored the scholarship for Thompson.

To be eligible for an MNLA scholarship, applicants must possess a “C” grade average or better, present letters of recommendation from instructors and employers and submit an essay stating their career goals and objectives.