TWIN FALLS, Idaho — The Chobani Scholars program has awarded a total of $80,000 in scholarships to four University of Idaho students who are pursuing careers in agriculture, including its first two recipients from the College of Engineering.

Chobani Scholars awards $20,000 scholarships distributed over four years, granting priority to students from the Magic Valley of south-central Idaho who intend to pursue a career in food production and the dairy industry and might not have the financial means to attend college on their own.

Chobani operates one of the largest yogurt manufacturing facilities in the country, located in Twin Falls, and has offered the scholarships to students from the university’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences since 2018.

This year’s cohort has been expanded to include students from a variety of degree fields connected to agriculture and food production.

The 2024 Chobani Scholars are:

•Jack DeJong of Wendell, an agricultural economics major with an emphasis on agribusiness.

•Megan Taber of Shoshone, a mechanical engineering major with a minor in animal science.

•Tori Albritton of Filer, a mechanical engineering major.

•Kaycie Theurer of Buhl, an agricultural education major.

“Kudos to Chobani for stepping up and working with us to develop this impactful program that lifts gifted students, Idaho agriculture and the state’s important dairy sector,” Michael Parrella, CALS dean, said in a press release.

“This is an ideal partnership between academia and industry that’s established a pipeline of creative minds to fill in-demand positions in agribusiness while expanding opportunities for Idahoans,” he said.

“Chobani’s recognition of the collaboration between agriculture and engineering is a testament to the industry’s leadership in food production, sustainability and resource management,” said Suzie Long, dean of the College of Engineering.

“These scholarships maximize our students’ ability to contribute to innovations that will change the way we think about our food, our health and our world,” she said.

The new cohort brings the total number of the University of Idaho Chobani Scholars to 25.

Students in the first Chobani Scholars cohort earned their bachelor’s degrees in the spring of 2023. Two are now in their second year of veterinary school at Washington State University, one is selling John Deere farming equipment, one is a reproductive specialist for a dairy genetics company and one is a University of Idaho graduate student studying dairy science.