Updated: Mar 2

Two scholarship opportunities for high school students to further their education have been announced by the Hillsborough Soil and Water Conservation District.

The scholarships are named for Roy Gene Davis, a lifelong nurseryman and Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame inductee. Money for the scholarship comes from the annual Great Plant Auction presented by the HSWCD at the Hillsborough County Fair. Davis, 90, is both the auction director and auctioneer.

The second scholarship is named in memory of Michael Hepburn, who during his tenure as chair of the Hillsborough Soil and Water Conservation District Board of Supervisors, passed away in 2021. He was a much beloved science teacher at Riverview High School and was part of the school’s first group of educators when the school opened in 1998.

Both scholarships have the same application form. Requirements include a 400-word essay on career goals, academic transcripts from the previous two years and two letters of recommendation. The EXTENDED deadline to apply is Friday, March 3.

The scholarships are to provide post-secondary educational funding for students in the field of agriculture, conservation or environmental sciences.

Both the Roy Gene Davis Scholarship and the Michael Hepburn Memorial Scholarship are open to students enrolled in grades 11 or 12 or first-year, post-secondary studies during the 2022-23 academic year. Applicants can be in public, private, parochial, charter, home or virtual school programs, or enrolled in community colleges, universities or other approved technical institutions.

Funding for each of the two scholarships in the latest funding cycle is $1,000. Judges will review applications and recipients will be announced at the HSWCD Hillsborough 100 Conservation Challenge Kickoff Luncheon, scheduled for April 13, noon to 2 p.m., at The Regent in Riverview.

For more information, call HSWCD Executive Director Betty Jo Tompkins at 813-477-8332. Email: bjt6890@yahoo.com.