For more than two decades, FCS Financial has been committed to supporting youth in Missouri by funding scholarships to encourage and support higher education. Giving back to its members and supporting communities is what that scholarship program is all about.
Now in its 21st year, FCS Financial’s scholarship program has awarded more than $878,000 to children and grandchildren of FCS Financial member-owners.
Applications are available on the FCS Financial website at www.myfcsfinancial.com and are due March 1. Don’t wait until the last minute! You will want to allow enough time to complete the online application and have your high school counselor complete and return the academic achievement form!
Here’s an inside look at what some of the 2019 recipients are doing now after receiving the scholarship five years ago.
Kendra Betz – Trenton
Kendra is a May 2022 graduate of Missouri State University (MSU) in Springfield, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural business, marketing and sales.
While in college, the Trenton native served as president of MSU’s Collegiate Cattlemen’s Association and was secretary of Collegiate Farm Bureau. Additionally, Kendra was an advisory committee member for the 2021 Public Affairs Conference. She’s a former Seaboard Royal Scholar with the American Royal Association and was an Agriculture Future of America Ambassador.
Completing internships with Missouri Corn Growers, Missouri Pork Association and the Missouri State Fair helped Kendra build a strong background in policy and, in her words, “make amazing connections throughout Missouri agriculture.”
She continues, “I’m thankful to those organizations that chose to invest in my future.”
After graduating from MSU, Kendra accompanied a friend from high school and traveled to Israel with the University of Missouri’s Christian Campus House. The faith-based experience provided her an opportunity to see first-hand much of where the history of the Bible took place.
“Israel is a beautiful place that holds such a deep history,” Kendra explains. “As a Christian, it was surreal to visit places like the Sea of Galilee, the Temple’s Western Wall and the Garden of Gethsemane. It was a privilege to meet the people of Israel and experience their world first-hand.”
Kendra is currently in her last year of law school at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. While there, she experienced a study abroad opportunity in Nates, France.
“We took courses focused on European Union law and how that helped shape our American legal system,” Kendra says. “I was paired with a French law student which allowed me to learn what law school is like in other countries. We also conducted a mock trial based on the French legal system, which was a great way to develop an understanding of why the U.S. established many of the legal rights we enjoy today.”
After graduation from Drake University, Kendra hopes to return to Missouri to practice law.
Laura (Compton) Bivens – Lamar
After high school Laura attended Southwest Baptist University (SBU) in Bolivar. She achieved a Bachelor of Science degree in exercise science-rehabilitative science in May 2023. An accomplished athlete, Laura was an outside hitter for the SBU Bearcats volleyball team while in college and was a member of Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Additionally, she was honored to be on the trustees list every semester she attended the university.
Laura’s senior semester internship took place at GP Athletics with a personal trainer. There, she learned how to start a business and guide clients through exercise and nutrition programs to achieve their fitness goals.
“The clients I worked with ranged from small children with cerebral palsy to older adults who wanted to increase their mobility,” she explains. “I learned how valuable exercise is and the importance of eating a healthy diet through all my experiences at SBU and GP Athletics. Overall, I learned about human development and movement all while practicing how to become a servant leader in our global society.”
Today, Lauren works for Avery and Bryant, a real estate media company in northwest Arkansas. She resides in Rogers, Arkansas, and is married to her husband, Spencer Bivens. Her plans include pursuing an opportunity in the fitness/healthcare industry and growing her family.
Taylor Case – Russellville
A May 2023 graduate of Kansas State University, Taylor received a Bachelor of Science degree in Construction Science and Management. While at K-State, she was involved in several professional organizations including Associated General Contractors Student Chapter, Associated Schools of Construction Competition, Sigma Lambda Chi International Construction Honor Society, Women in ARE/CNS, Delight Ministries and Society of Women Engineers.
“Through many of these student organizations, I was able to travel to different states including Florida, Nebraska, Tennessee, Texas and Nevada to attend conferences and network with industry professionals,” Taylor explains.
Taylor was chosen as a student representative to attend the Seaton Society Gala where alumni of the K-State College of Engineering are recognized for their achievements and success in the industry.
“I also was part of several service projects including siding a house after tornado damage in Oklahoma, pouring a sidewalk for a local elementary school and building a deck for a family in a surrounding community,” Taylor says.
The Russellville native adds, “I loved being part of all these organizations and getting to build relationships with classmates, peers at other universities, professors and industry professionals.”
Taylor completed five internships while in college, including three summer and two semester experiences. She was a field engineer intern with Whiting-Turner Contracting Company for three summers, two at the Walmart Distribution Center project in Topeka, Kansas, and one in Edmond, Oklahoma, at the LifeChurch Expansion project.
Additionally, Taylor worked part-time as a project engineer intern during her sophomore year of college at Icon Structures in Manhattan, Kansas, and part-time as a laborer her junior and senior year at BHS Construction also in Manhattan.
Working as a field engineer, Taylor says she prepared site logistics plans for parking lot paving and striping, developed and managed incomplete work lists and punch lists at the end of a project, conducted jobsite safety inspections and completed a stormwater pollution prevention plan training among other tasks. During her experience as a project engineer intern, she prepared subcontracts and attended pre-construction and jobsite progress meetings.
“As a laborer, I grew my hands-on skills and completed tasks such as hanging metal siding, swinging interior doors, hanging fire extinguisher cabinets, installing flooring underlayment and building temporary walls,” Taylor explains. “Through each experience I learned to be open to trying and learning new things, how to work with different teams, and gained valuable knowledge that I was able to take with me to my full-time career.”
Currently a project engineer for McCownGordon Construction in Manhattan, Taylor recently completed her first project with the company — a $17 million, 100,000 square foot corporate office renovation in downtown Kansas City, Missouri.
As part of her role with the company, Taylor not only helps ensure construction projects run smoothly, but also manages material procurement, assists with scheduling, coordinates meetings, reviews material submittals and works with the design team to streamline workflow. Taylor lives in St. George, Kansas, a small town outside Manhattan. She plans to continue growing her career at McCownGordon and stay in the Manhattan area for the foreseeable future.
Isaac Ernst – Perryville
Isaac attended the University of Missouri-Columbia, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science in May 2023.
While at MU, Isaac was a research assistant in the Autonomous Systems Lab, developing software to be used on the Boston Dynamics robot dog “Spot,” owned by the university. Additionally, he was a College of Engineering peer mentor for several semesters, providing weekly guidance to groups of six freshman engineering students. He was involved in the College of Engineering St. Pats Board and the Mizzou Computing Association, serving as a committee chair.
During a summer experience as a software engineering intern at EquipmentShare, Isaac worked alongside professional engineers, managers and product owners. He also participated as a mentee in a mentorship program, meeting weekly with a senior engineer to inquire and learn about career development strategies.
“I developed software for the company as an intern and eventually received a return offer for full time employment,” Isaac explains.
Through his experiences at EquipmentShare, Isaac says he learned professional software development practices and had the opportunity to learn from senior engineers about the design, scalability and reusability of code.
“I gained valuable experience while collaborating with a team of engineers, working on software through the entire software development lifecycle,” he says.
Isaac currently works for EquipmentShare as a software engineer II. He resides in St. Louis.
Haleigh Ferguson – Smithton
After high school, Haleigh attended Metropolitan Community College-Maple Woods (MCC) where she majored in veterinary technology. She earned an Associates of Applied Science degree in veterinary technology in May 2023.
According to Haleigh, admission into the program she studied at MCC is very competitive. She was among 19 graduates of the program.
“I helped to plan many of the activities that the program assisted with,” Haleigh says. “Every class also receives hands-on learning with animals to help further our skills before graduation. Each of the four semesters we had small animals, and our last two semesters consisted of small ruminants and equine.”
Through the training in MCC’s veterinary technician program, Haleigh says she gained hands-on skills she uses daily to help care for patients to the best of her ability.
Currently, Haleigh works in a small animal clinic and is able to continue caring for her cattle herd at home. She’s also starting her own Magnawave business to help further the well-being for stock show species and small animals.
A resident of Lee’s Summit, Haleigh plans to continue to work in veterinary medicine while improving her cattle herd.
Kathryn (Grant) Tully – Carrollton
Kathryn (Katy) studied agricultural communications with a double minor in general agriculture and agribusiness at Missouri State University in Springfield. She graduated in 2022 after being involved in several organizations inside and outside the Darr College of Agriculture. From being president of Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow and a member of Delta Tau Alpha to her involvement in the elite Centennial Leaders program and Phi Eta Signa honor society, Katy received many leadership and networking opportunities that she says helped shape her into the person she is today. She graduated suma cum laude.
“The Darr College of Agriculture provided me with many unique, hands-on experiences related to my major, including photographing the Delta Tau Alpha National Convention,” Katy says.
According to Katy, her most memorable learning experience was working at KMZU, a local radio station in Carrollton. There, Katy researched and wrote stories for the station’s newsroom. The position also led her to the station’s farm department where she would begin her workday at 5 a.m. writing and broadcasting agricultural news and markets.
“During my internship at KMZU, I learned the basics of WordPress web management, practiced photography, tuned in my interview skills in addition to learning the introductory elements of news writing and how it is different from feature style writing,” Katy explains.
Currently, Katy resides in her hometown of Carrollton where she and her husband, Nathan Tully, own and operate Tully’s Heating and Cooling. Katy manages the business office, performing billing, accounts payable, taxes, marketing and scheduling tasks. In addition, she owns Century Farm Photography where she focuses on her degree by photographing moments in her rural community, often using her family’s century farm as a backdrop.
“Our businesses hold a special place in our hearts because we get to help the community members who helped raise us,” Katy says.
Sahara Huebner – Owensville
An April 2022 graduate of Barnes Jewish College Goldfarb School of Nursing, Sahara was a student ambassador and received a Clinical Excellence Award during her studies there.
“I completed 462 clinical hours in several different hospitals within the St. Louis metropolitan area,” Sahara says. “With the opportunities to learn within these different hospitals, I was able to gain experience in a wide variety of nursing specialties and grow my knowledge in healthcare exponentially.”
A registered nurse, Sahara works at a primary care clinic in the St. Louis metro area. She resides in Union and plans to further her education to eventually obtain a position in nursing leadership.
Brenden Kleiboeker – Stotts City
Brenden attended the University of Missouri-Columbia, graduating in May 2023 with a Bachelor of Science degree in plant science, crop management. He also earned minors in animal science and ag systems management and has a certificate in precision agriculture.
In addition to serving as Missouri State FFA president his freshman year in college, Brenden was involved in Collegiate Farm Bureau where he finished in the final four in the organization’s National Discussion Meet competition.
Brenden interned as a crop scout for Farmer’s Cooperative in Columbus, Kansas, during his freshman year of college. He also completed intern experiences with Smith Farm and Seed in Cherokee, Kansas, and the Southwest Missouri/Southeast Kansas Pioneer sales team. Following his junior year, he worked as a commercial sales intern for Pioneer focused in central and southwest Missouri.
“After my freshman year, I applied for an internship as my first off the farm job,” Brenden explains. “I fell in love with the agronomy space and switched my major from animal science to plant science. Following that, I had the opportunity to work with a great group of people in Pioneer and determined that I wanted to run my own seed dealership in southwest Missouri.”
Currently, Brenden owns and operates Kleiboeker Crop Services. In that capacity, he is transitioning a seed dealership from his grandfather’s cousin. He’s also expanded offerings by working as a chemical salesman for a neighboring Pioneer dealer and has purchased and operates a seed treater. Soil grid sampling and fertility as well as data management are other services Brenden offers to area farmers.
Brenden currently resides in Wentworth with his wife Baleigh, who is an English teacher at Pierce City High School.
“With the help of FCS Financial and Morgan Wallace, we are working to purchase a piece of property to farm and expand our seed dealership,” Brenden explains. “We hope to add other offerings across southwest Missouri and provide the premier experience when it comes to crop management and working with farmers to achieve their goals.”
Mattie Kottman – Salisbury
A native of Salisbury, Mattie graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia in May 2024 with a Bachelor of Science degree in agribusiness management.
At MU, Mattie held several leadership positions on the Phi Mu Sorority, including PHA delegate on the executive board. She was a member and secretary in the National Agri-Marketing Association and was selected as an ambassador for Agriculture Future of America.
As part of the Mizzou floral design program, Mattie studied abroad in Holland in 2022. She completed internships with the MU College of Agriculture Food and Natural Resources Alumni Board, OBP advertising agency and John Burrough School Fundraising.
While in Holland, Mattie says she studied in a floral design school, visited the largest floral distributor in the world and met with several different floral growers/breeders, including the royal grower for the last king’s coronation.
“We learned how the floral market was deeply impacted by the then developing Ukraine/Russia war, how the Dutch auction system works (they start high and go low), and we saw the beginnings of the Dutch Farmers protest,” Mattie explains. “They stopped the highways with tractors a week after we left. We also learned how the Dutch really embrace plants and nature and incorporate them into their everyday life and stores.”
She adds that through her college experiences she was able to expand her knowledge of marketing, graphic design, business planning, networking, accountability and coordinating large group projects.
Mattie currently is assistant brand manager at Compana Pet Brands where she works on pet care brands such as Vet’s Best, Espree, Natural Care, Nutri-Vet and Dinovite. She lives in St. Louis and has plans to earn a master’s degree in business administration, eventually returning to her agriculture roots.
Alexandra Osborn – Wellington
Alexandra attended Iowa State University (ISU)to pursue a degree in agriculture and rural policy studies while minoring in agronomy. She graduated in May 2023.
As an undergraduate, Alexandra was involved in the Agriculture Policy Club and says she was fortunate to network with a variety of individuals in that field because of her activities.
“One of the most notable interactions was planning an event in which Bill Northey visited Iowa State and served as a seminar speaker discussing issues and legislation within agriculture,” Alexandra says.
Alexandra attended the Agriculture Future of America Conference while in college and was a student member of the American Seed Trade Association. Also, during her time at Iowa State, she was selected as a Fred Foreman Scholar, receiving an award annually for her grade point average and involvement in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
Working for Beck’s Hybrids as a corn breeding research intern the first two summers of college helped Alexandra earn her Part 107 UAV license. Through the experience she also participated in corn breeding activities including planting, pollinating, and disease inoculations and screening.
“Additionally, I completed two research projects,” Alexandra notes. “One was called Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) Analysis for Corn Plant and Ear Height while the other was Pollen Impermeable Material Testing.”
During her final summer at ISU, Alexandra interned with Bayer Crop Science as a crop science sales intern with the Fontanelle Regional Brand in Nebraska. She says the experience helped her network with customers, dealers and fellow Bayer employees while learning valuable information about the growing conditions of a new state.
“My project for this internship consisted of using the Climate FieldView platform as a method of customer recruitment through dealers,” Alexandra explains.
During the school year, she remained employed with Beck’s Hybrids and worked with the Iowa State Extension Women in Agriculture Program as a student assistant. There, Alexandra helped create grants, planned conferences and had the opportunity to network with and learn from other women in agriculture.
“The experiences I gained throughout my internship opportunities helped me learn the true expansiveness of the agriculture industry and allowed me to further grasp the role each and every one of us plays in the field,” Alexandra says. “As a corn breeding research intern, I learned the work and dedication it takes to get seed to become commercial. On the other hand, being a crop science sales intern allowed me to see the dedication it takes to market the seed.”
Alexandra adds that through the Women in Agriculture program she learned how valuable it is to make connections within the industry and to learn from each other through unique experiences.
Today, Alexandra is a corn breeding research associate II for Beck’s Hybrids. In that role, she is responsible for carrying out the day-to-day operations of the two breeding programs located at her station. Depending on the season, she might be managing seed inventories packaging seed for future fields, planting, pollinating, harvesting shelling or helping to prepare seed for the company’s winter nursery locations.
“The thing I love about my role is that no day looks the same for me, and there is always a constant challenge and something to learn from,” Alexandra says.
The Wellington native now makes her home in Marshalltown, Iowa. In the future, she looks to relocate to Lincoln, Nebraska, as her current breeding station with Beck’s Hybrids transitions to Nebraska before the end of the 2024. Alexandra is also pursuing a Master of Science in Agronomy from Iowa State University. She hopes to advance her career in agricultural research in the future.
Theo Rieckhoff – Windsor
Theo (far right in picture) is a May 2023 graduate of Missouri State University in Springfield. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in environmental plant science, crop science.
At MSU, Theo was a presidential scholar, an ag ambassador and served as president of both the agronomy club and the Darr College of Agriculture Student Council. He was also treasurer of Collegiate Farm Bureau and secretary of Collegiate Cattlemen’s Association during his time at the university.
In the summer of 2020, Theo completed an internship with veterinary services through the United States Department of Agriculture Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). He also served as the spring legislative intern in the state capitol for Missouri Farm Bureau (MFB) during the 2023 session.
“My time with veterinary services was extremely unique, and no one was prepared for what occurred during the spring of that year,” Theo explains. “From emergency response to supply chains breaking and how CAFOs had to respond, including potential transmission of the (COVID-19) virus by livestock, all of that was a significant focus during my time there.”
While interning with MFB, Theo says he spent time working in the state capitol under their state legislative director. He also helped educate MFB members who visited the capitol on the farm group’s policy issues and met with legislators to advocate for legislation important to the state’s agriculture industry and farm families.
Theo’s family operates a cow-calf to finish and row-crop enterprise in west central Missouri. He also has a flock of hair sheep and trains horses on the side. Currently, Theo and his wife, Makenna, live in Pettis County on his family’s farm. Makenna works in ag research in Marshall. The young farm couple are in their first-year term serving on MFB’s Young Farmers and Ranchers Statewide Committee. Off the farm, Theo works as a sustainability specialist for Bartlett, based in Kansas City.
“My role supports producers adopting conservation-minded and soil health practices on their operations across the Midwest and North Carolina, while developing programs with our grain and flour customers to incentivize practice adoption and financially support producers taking steps to protect and improve their land,” he says.
Theo adds that he and Makenna hope to eventually work full-time on the farm, a goal in sight after buying their own land recently with the help of FCS Financial.
Brooke Schnarre – Centralia
Brooke attended Northwest Missouri State University (NWMSU), graduating in December 2022 with a Bachelor of Science degree in agriculture.
At NWMSU, Brook was the vice president of Collegiate Farm Bureau and a member of Sigma Alpha. As a member of Sigma Alpha, she attended the Young Farmer and Rancher conference yearly with her collegiate organization. In 2021 the group received the Navigator Award.
According to Brooke Sigma Alpha also participated several events, which helped her connect and associate with women sharing the same interests in the agricultural industry while bringing a new perspective to the group.
In 2020, Brooke was an intern for Agrispray Drones enabling her to work closely with farms to sell, teach and operate new drone equipment. She also interned with FCS Financial in northern Missouri, which she says was a great experience and helped her learn the business side of an agricultural enterprise.
Brooke says her internship experiences taught her simply to do more.
“I grew up on a farm and was taught from a young age to be involved with the agricultural industry,” she says. “As a woman in agriculture, it is often hard for an easy success. You must put yourself in a tough situation and prove your worth. I have had many opportunities to work with great farmers and farm-related businesses to help me learn from all sides of agriculture.”
Currently, Brooke works on her family’s farm and lives in Centralia. Her plans include expanding the family’s row crop and cattle enterprises alongside her brother, Zach, and sister, Blair.
