Kendall Central Oregon Awards Scholarships to FFA Students in Bend, Redmond, and Prineville!

May 1st, 2025 by Genesis Amador

Kendall is proud to support the future of agriculture by awarding three $1000 scholarships to outstanding FFA students in Bend, Redmond, and Prineville. The Built Tough scholarships, available to high school students that are current members of the FFA, opened in November of 2024 and were awarded in April of 2025. Over 20 students from the Central Oregon area applied, and recipients were chosen in partnership with the National FFA. We are thrilled to share more about our winners, whose applications stood out due to their involvement with the FFA, contributions to their community, and are taking their education to the next level at four-year universities.

Congratulations to our 2025 winners: Lily Williams (Redmond High School), Annika Power (Caldera High School), and Rilee Dennis (Crook County High School). Lily Williams is a senior at Redmond High School and has plans of attending the University of Idaho in the fall to continue her education surrounding agriculture and business. Annika Power, a senior at Caldera High School, will be attending Cal Poly and plans on studying ag business. Annika was also the recipient of the Presidential Scholarship at Oregon State University but has chosen to attend Cal Poly for a new experience and program that fits her future goals. Rilee Dennis, Senior at Crook County High School, will be attending Oregon State University upon graduation and is excited to major in Construction Engineering with goals of starting her own business. Rilee is an extremely active member in her community, and we have no doubt she will find success in starting her own contracting business in the future!

The Kendall Cares team had the opportunity to meet with Jeff Papke, who is an FFA advisor and Agricultural Science and Technology teacher at Mountain View High School. Jeff is a passionate advocate for students who are willing to take the next step in their education through FFA due to the unlimited opportunities they open themselves up to. Through FFA, students have the opportunity to get involved in hands-on experiences that might shape their future education and careers. Kendall Central Oregon is honored to invest in local students’ futures through this scholarship, and we wish the best of luck to Lily Williams, Annika Power, and Rilee Dennis as they pursue their studies at some incredible universities!