BROOKINGS – South Dakota State University student Gabrielle Thooft received a scholarship from the Shinoda Foundation. A sophomore from Tyler, Minnesota, Thooft is majoring in horticulture.
“Our foundation was created to encourage fresh, ambitious young talent to pursue careers in floriculture, and our newest crop of scholarship recipients represents some of the best and brightest,” said Bob Otsuka, president of the Shinoda Foundation.
Thooft is the daughter of Chris and Lee Thooft and is a 2018 Russell Tyler Ruthton Public High School graduate.
“I am so very proud to have recieved the scholarship because it feels like a confirmation that I am headed into the right career,” she said. “I am excited to work within the floriculture industry, and I am beyond grateful to the foundation for selecting me as a recipient of its floriculture-based scholarship.”
She joins the following SDSU students who have received Shinoda Foundation scholarships:
• Charlotte Vetter, 2010;
• Janelle Burkard, 2007;
• Krystie Peelen, 2006;
• Scott Rusch, Melissa Bartosh, 2000;
• Scott Rusch, Melissa Bartosh, 1999;
• Heather Hacker, 1998;
• Heather Kooima, 1997;
• Suzanne Braem, Heather Kooima, 1996; and
• Jessica Freking, Suzzanne Braem, 1995.
Overall, the Shinoda Foundation board of trustees awarded eight scholarships this year totaling $23,500 and provided grants to the winners’ colleges and universities. Since 1965, The Shinoda Foundation has awarded more than $890,000 in scholarships to 706 students.
The Shinoda Foundation was established in 1964 under the auspices of the California State Florists’ Association in memory of the late Joseph Shinoda, a highly regarded pioneer of that state’s floral industry. The foundation’s purpose is to encourage educational opportunities for young people interested in entering the industry.
