Lincoln, Neb. —The Robin Lapaseotes Memorial Scholarship for agricultural entrepreneurship for the 2020-2021 academic year has been awarded to Miranda Hornung of Davey, and Ralston Ripp of Kearney.
The scholarship, awarded in memory of business leader and cattlewoman Robin Coulter Lapaseotes, recognizes students who dream to build an agricultural company.
Lapaseotes was a successful ranch owner and businesswoman from Bridgeport, Neb. who passed away in 2014. The scholarship honors her dedication to sustaining healthy rural communities and empowering young entrepreneurs. Robin had served as a member of the advisory board for the Engler Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She was an avid mentor for youths seeking opportunities in agriculture, and served in numerous leadership roles in her community and the beef industry.
“Both recipients represent commitment to agriculture, the capacity for resilience and independent thinking, as well as demonstrating leadership with a focus on rural communities,” said Tom Field, Engler program director.
Hornung, a junior agricultural education major, aspires to integrate entrepreneurial training and experiences into high school agricultural programs. Ripp, a junior animal science and agribusiness major, has started her own cattle enterprise with a goal of developing an outreach program to attract urban youth to agricultural experiences.
The Engler Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Program was established in 2010 by a gift from the Paul and Virginia Engler Foundation to empower enterprise builders. The Engler Program provides an environment designed to invigorate personal excellence focused on the creation of businesses. The program offers an academic minor, while serving as an intersection at which students from a diverse array of majors and business interests can come together in pursuit of the American dream. Its mission is to embolden people in the courageous pursuit of their purpose through the art and practice of entrepreneurship.
For more information about the program, visit engler.unl.edu or contact program director Tom Field at tfield2@unl.edu or 402-472-5643