LLCC agriculture major Edra “Emmi” Fisher of Springfield is among 20 students nationally awarded a $5,000 scholarship from the 2017-18 National Black Farmers Association Scholarship Program. This is the third time she has won a scholarship from the organization, designed to assist students in pursuing studies in agriculture.

Emmi is passionate about organic farming. She has worked on farms through Willing Workers on Organic Farms (WWOOF) in various parts of the country during the past two summers, bringing back information and ideas to the LLCC garden while helping to grow a wide variety of vegetables for the college culinary programs and campus farm stand. She has also written LLCC’s “Epicuriosity 101” weekly culinary column in the State Journal-Register three times, covering topics such as healthy eating, her organic farming experience and fair trade coffee. Read more.

Mason Gordon of Springfield, an agriculture business major at Lincoln Land Community College, is one of 10 students nationwide selected to receive the 2017 Pearson Scholarship for Higher Education, a $5,000 award. The scholarship is awarded to Phi Theta Kappa academic honor society members who are civically engaged in their community through service and who demonstrate leadership, academic rigor and excellence. Preference is given to first-generation college students. Nearly 700 applications were received.

Mason, originally from Rushville, Indiana, is active with LLCC’s award-winning Livestock Judging and Model Illinois Government (MIG) teams. He was honored as Outstanding Committee Chair in the House of Representations at last year’s MIG simulation. Read more.