Southwest Meat Association scholarships awarded to Texas A&M students

The Southwest Meat Association, SMA, has awarded scholarships to 21 students representing five departments in the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences totaling $38,500 during its recent convention in San Antonio.

Fourteen undergraduate and seven graduate students representing the Department of Agricultural Economics, the Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication, the Department of Animal Science, the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering and the Department of Food Science and Technology were recognized.

SMA was founded in 1957 by a group of Texas meat packers who came together to form an organization representing the meat and poultry industry by uniting processors to promote goodwill, friendship, education, legislation and better labor relations within the industry.

In 1987, through SMA member donations, the organization established the Southwest Meat Association Foundation to assist students pursuing meat industry careers. Since 2000, the SMA Foundation has awarded more than $1.2 million to students.

“The SMA Foundation scholarships have assisted several hundred students, including many Aggies, over the years,” said Joe Harris, Ph.D., SMA president and CEO. “It is extremely rewarding to our generous donors to see former recipients in leadership positions throughout our industry. This year, we were proud to fund $140,000 in scholarships, the most ever in our history.”

Bob Ondrusek Memorial Scholarship

• Abigail Tack, Humble. Tack is a first-year master’s student in animal science. After graduation, she plans to pursue a legal career in the meat industry.

SMA Hall of Honor Scholarship

• Sage Boleman, Brock. Boleman is a first-year master’s student in animal science. After completing his master’s, he plans to pursue a doctorate in meat science. This scholarship was awarded in memory of Bob Winn, a graduate of Southern Methodist University, U.S. Army veteran and owner of Winn Meat Company.
• Kinley Cernosek, Waelder, sophomore agribusiness major. Upon graduation, Cernosek plans to return home and begin her career in sales at her family’s meat production company, J Bar B Foods. This scholarship was given in memory of Jim Henry, a highly respected leader and mentor within SMA and founder of Jim Henry Enterprises.
• Tristan Cernosek, Waelder, senior agricultural systems management major. Cernosek plans to start a career in meat production management. This scholarship was awarded in honor of Danny Janecka, owner of J Bar B Foods.
• Hunter Nevlud, Shiner, sophomore animal science major. Upon graduation, Nevlud plans to pursue a career in the meat industry before returning home to assume ownership of his parents’ business, Maeker’s Sausage and Processing. This scholarship was awarded in honor of Vinson Kirchner, Bob Evans Foods, retired.
• Gage Walsh, Santa Fe, senior animal science major. Walsh plans to pursue an advanced degree in meat science after graduation. This scholarship was given in honor of Jeffrey W. Savell, Ph.D., vice chancellor and dean for Agriculture and Life Sciences and meat science professor for more than 40 years.

SMIKIDS Scholarship

The SMIKIDS Scholarships are funded by the family of longtime SMA member, Burley Smith of Lone Star Beef Processors in San Angelo. They are exclusively awarded to outstanding meat science students from Texas A&M University.

• Dylan Sione, Fredericksburg, senior animal science and agricultural leadership and development double major. Sione plans to become an advocate for the agriculture industry in Washington D.C. upon graduation.
• Abigail Tack, Humble. Tack is a first-year master’s student in animal science. After graduation, she plans to pursue a legal career in the meat industry.
• Audrey De La Zerda, Leander. A first-year animal science doctoral candidate, De La Zerda is a two-time graduate of Texas A&M with a bachelor’s in food science and a master’s in agricultural leadership, education and communication.

SMA Foundation Scholarship

Doctorate degree:

• MacKenzie Gail Chapman, Battle Creek, Michigan, meat science and food safety. Chapman plans to pursue a career in academia after graduation.
• Lauren Lee, Hamilton, meat science and food safety. Upon graduation, Lee plans to follow a career in academia.
• Zachariah Vice, League City, animal science. Vice plans to pursue a career in public service with a focus on food safety and development at the national and international levels upon graduation.

Master’s degree:

• Aime Leandre Shimwa Mvuyekure, Nyagatare, Rwanda, animal science. Upon graduation, Shimwa Mvuyekure plans to pursue a career in food safety and quality assurance.

Undergraduate degree:

• Fritz Anton, Lockhart, senior animal science major. Upon graduation, Anton plans to open a custom harvesting facility in Central Texas.
• Brittley Bowers, Fredericksburg, senior animal science major with minors in agricultural communications and journalism and agrifood sales with a certificate in meat science. Bowers plans to pursue a master’s in meat science and animal health while starting a career in the agriculture industry upon graduation.
• Cassity Brown, College Station, junior agricultural economics major with a certificate in meat science. A member of the 2022 national champion meat judging team, Brown plans to work in the meat industry while focusing on the supply chain when she graduates.
• Nathan Kerth, College Station, sophomore animal science major. Upon graduation, Kerth plans to pursue a master’s in meat processing and follow a career in the further processed meat industry.
• Bailey Lamb, Huntsville, senior agricultural economics major with a certificate in meat science. Lamb plans to obtain a master’s in meat science after graduation.
• Bonnie Morgan McKinzie, Stephenville, senior animal science major. After she graduates, McKinzie plans to pursue a master’s in meat science.
• Channing Pieniazek, Denton, senior animal science major with a certificate in meat science. Upon graduation, Pieniazek plans to continue her education by working toward a master’s in meat science.
• Dalton Skarovsky, New Braunfels, junior food science and technology major. Skarovsky plans to follow a career in food safety after graduation.
• Jolie Zimmerman, Cedar Creek, junior animal science major. Upon graduation, Zimmerman plans to pursue an advanced degree in meat science.