The Keath Killebrew Charisma Scholarship
The Keath Killebrew Charisma Scholarship was established in 2022 to honor the life and legacy of Keath Killebrew, Sr. who tragically died trying to accomplish a new dream of teaching farming in Paraguay. His memory lives on through his family and friends, and their vow to continue his life’s work to teach and train the next generation of Mississippi farmers.
This scholarship will be given to individuals who are passionate about agriculture and serving people throughout their career. See More about Keath.
This scholarship invites applicants who reside in Mississippi and are currently high school seniors or an individual pursuing post-secondary training, education or certification who has a proven work history, is passionate about agriculture and helping others, and who will be studying agriculture or a related field. The minimum award will be $2,000 per recipient. Multiple awards may be given.
APPLICATION:
Deadline: April 30, 2025
Please fill out the following application and upload these items:
1. Resume to include education, work history, extracurricular activities, volunteer and community service, and other relevant information.
2. Video introduction and statement (*see video content and submission guidelines below). Using your phone, tablet or other device, record a short (no longer than 3 minute) video that contains the following information:
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- Personal introduction.
- Why you are passionate about agriculture.
- How you can use your knowledge of agriculture to help others.
3. Two letters of reference which should include:
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- How the person knows you.
- Description of your work ethic and interpersonal skills.
- Examples/evidence of your desire to help others.
4. Response to the following essay prompts. (The responses must be submitted as a .pdf document, 12pt Font, double spaced, maximum 500-word limit for each prompt. Please save all responses in one file, with the prompt identified at the beginning of each essay.)
- What are your long-range career goals and what you need to learn to achieve them?
- Keath Killebrew lived by the analogy “What you put into life is what you will get out of it.” Reflect on that statement and how it applies to your own life philosophy.
- Reflect your personal point of view on your most significant challenge or accomplishment and its value to your life
- How would you describe your passion for agriculture and how you share it with others?
*The video can be recorded from your cell phone and uploaded on the application site, but it is preferable that you upload the video to YouTube or other video transfer application and share the link in the appropriate box on the online application.
Donovan Shoemaker is a high school senior at Leake County High School. Donovan is an athlete, an honor student, and a member of the Future Business Leaders of America and the FFA. Hailing from a small town in Central Mississippi of less than 3,000 people, Donovan wrote in the scholarship essay that his first pair of shoes was a pair of baby boots. My love for livestock and agriculture started at the early age of three. From looking after the horses and chickens, helping my dad bush hog, tending to the garden, and feeding our baby calves before school, agriculture has always been a big part of who I am.
He is an aspiring agricultural scientist and aims to bridge the relationship between livestock, crops, and their physical environments. He also aspires to implement the processes and knowledge gained as an agricultural scientist by owning his own farm, “Shoemaker Acres.”
Donovan is enrolled at Alcorn State University and will begin in the Fall of 2024 as an Agricultural Science major with a Concentration in General Agriculture. He shared that his ultimate career goal is to work for USDA as an agricultural scientist who travels to farms in rural communities and implements strategies to help farmers maximize efficiency in production and cultivation and help their livestock thrive.
Congratulations to Donovan Shoemaker, 2024 scholarship winner from Walnut
Grove, MS.
Jacob is a graduate of Mississippi Delta Community College, Mississippi State University with a degree in Agronomy (1st in his class) and is currently a graduate student in Plant and Soil Science with a concentration in Agronomy and Weed Science at Mississippi State University.
Jacob has always loved the saying, “‘On the eighth day, God looked down on the earth and said I need a caretaker, so God made a farmer.’ This is so true because, as farmers or anyone who works in agriculture, it is their job to feed the world without destroying the land. Agriculture and farming involve having a relationship with the land, trying to protect and replenishing it like your own child. It is a culture where everyone works together with one goal in mind. Agriculture is a way of life for Jacob, he says, there are some intangibles that I do not know how to explain to others that make up my love and passion for agriculture, but it is much more than just planting a seed and growing a crop. We must share our experiences with the younger generation to spread our passion for agriculture because the younger generation will inherit the things we have worked so hard to obtain.”
Congratulations to 2024 scholarship winner Jacob Dodd from Sunflower, MS.