10 Extraordinary Students Recognized with 2017 Food Safety Auditing Scholarship

DALLAS, TX – The Food Marketing Institute (FMI) Foundation in conjunction with the Safe Quality Food Institute (SQFI) recognized 10 recipients of the 2017 Food Safety Auditing Scholarship and Education Travel Grant  yesterday at the SQF International Conference.

The scholarships recognize extraordinary students enrolled in a university food and agricultural science program interested in pursuing a career in food systems auditing. The FMI Foundation received over 80 scholarship applications this year, among them included 30 PhD candidates, 40 pursuing Masters and 13 in their junior and senior university programs.

“By partnering with SQFI on this scholarship, our goal is to expand the pool of qualified food safety auditors and support the integrity of the safest food supply in the world,” Susan Borra, RD, executive director, FMI Foundation. “This scholarship program offers these students financial assistance to pursue a food systems auditor career path, but we also expose recipients to a networking opportunity like no other—the chance to meet and connect with food safety experts across the food industry.”

Senior Vice President of the Safe Quality Food Institute Robert Garfield commented “Auditors are on the front lines of maintaining food safety and quality at all operations and manufacturing facilities around the world.  Fostering the next generation of food safety auditors not only benefits the SQF Program, but global food safety as a whole, which in turn benefits us all as consumers.” 

The recipients of the 2017 FMI Foundation Food Safety Auditing Scholarship are:

• Ilan Arvelo-Yagua, Texas Tech University
• Cameron Bardsley, Virginia Tech University
• Sabra Billups, Oklahoma State University
• Sarah Bock, The University of Georgia
• Diego Casas, Texas Tech University
• Emily Griep, Cornell University
• Robyn Miranda, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
• Jennifer Norka, Purdue University
• Cole Perkins, Texas Tech University
• Kristen Saniga, North Carolina State University

Each winner receives a $3,000 scholarship with an all-expense paid trip to the SQF International Conference to network with more than 850 food safety professionals in attendance. For additional information about the FMI Foundation and the Scholarship program visit FMI.org/Foundation. For information about Safe Quality Food Institute visit SQFI.com.

Full Image Caption:

Top left to right:
Cameron Bardsley, Virginia Tech University
Kristie Grzywinski, Senior Technical Manager, SQFI (scholarship administrator)
Ilan Arvelo-Yagua, Texas Tech University
Emily Griep, Cornell University
Sarah Bock, The University of Georgia
Diego Casas, Texas Tech University
Cole Perkins, Texas Tech University

Bottom row left to right:
Robyn Miranda, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Sabra Billups, Oklahoma State University
Kristen Saniga, North Carolina State University
Jennifer Norka, Purdue University