Fort Valley State University student awarded USDA 1890 National Scholarship

FORT VALLEY, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Jalil Jones, a freshman at Fort Valley State University (FVSU), is among 103 nationwide recipients of the 2023 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)/1890 National Scholars Program.

The scholarship covers tuition, fees, books, room and board and also includes work experience through USDA summer internships, an FVSU news release said.

Fort Valley State University’s U.S. Department of Agriculture/1890 National Scholars shown with Karla Hollis, USDA liaison. (Photo: Fort Valley State)

Right now, FVSU hosts 12 scholars under this program, sponsored by five USDA agencies across nine states.

The USDA’s Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement manages the 1890 National Scholars Program, which aims to increase the number of students from rural and underserved communities in 19 1890 land-grant universities, focusing on degrees in agriculture, food, natural resource sciences and related disciplines.

Jones, an 18-year-old agricultural engineering student, is grateful to receive the funding.

“Being able to maintain a scholarship is something I am prepared to do,” he said.

He hopes to use his artistic abilities to design and build machinery as an agricultural engineer for the USDA.

“I want to create something from what I have learned from school and work experiences,” Jones said.

Jones is scheduled to intern for the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service in Arizona in the summer of 2024.

The Oakland, California native chose FVSU after being influenced by his parents, who are graduates of Tuskegee University in Alabama. He learned about FVSU and the USDA/1890 National Scholars Program at a college fair in Oakland during high school.

USDA awarded more than 100 1890 scholarships in Fiscal Year 2023. The 2024 application cycle opened this month. For more information, visit https://bit.ly/USDA1890scholar or contact Karla Hollis, USDA liaison, at karla.hollis@usda.gov.