2026 Academic Scholarship Recipients

            The Morrow SWCD Board of Supervisors met on April 8th to select the recipient of the Morrow SWCD Annual Scholarship and their top contenders for the Robert Wuertz, Jr. Memorial Scholarship, the Don McGinnis Memorial Scholarship and the Steve Ruhl Memorial Scholarship. Family members of the Memorial scholarships then shared their input on the students they felt best fulfilled the qualifications of the application, as well as, fit the spirit of the scholarship.

            The application pool was competitive and impressive.

We want to extend our greatest thanks to each applicant for all scholarships. We recognize your academic journey and want to encourage you to continue to further your education with fidelity.

Morrow SWCD Annual Scholarship: Abigail Leonhard

This is the 3^rd year for the Morrow Soil and Water Conservation District Annual Scholarship that is funded by money raised at the Annual Morrow Soil and Water Banquet. We want to extend our greatest thanks to all who have supported this scholarship.

This year, the recipient is Abigail Leonhard, daughter of Duane and Julie Leonhard and a graduate from Mt. Gilead High School. In the fall, Abigail will be headed to Mt. Vernon Nazarene University to pursue her degree in Graphic Design with her goal being to obtain a position with a local company and help design their social networking and advertising.

During her time at Mt. Gilead, Abigail was active in FFA, serving as the Chapters President, Red Cross Representative, Class Secretary, Volleyball Captain, Track and Field Captain while achieving All Conference, All District, All Region, and All State awards. Abigail is part of the National Honor Society, Morrow County Dairy Ambassador, Big Brother Big Sister program, as well as, active as a Bible Study Leader.

Morrow Soil and Water is very pleased to have Abigail as our 2026 Scholarship recipient and wish you all the best as you continue to achieve your goals.

Don McGinnis Memorial Scholarship: Brandon Elliot

Congratulations to Brandon Elliott for being selected as the 2026/2027 recipient of the Don McGinnis Memorial Scholarship. Brandon is a graduate of Cardington Lincoln High School and the son of Mary Hughes.

Brandan will be attending Ohio Wesleyan University in the fall to pursue his major in Environmental studies to accomplish his goal by offering traveling opportunities and a position of advocacy to make a positive impact.

The accomplishments Brandan achieved during his High School career are numerous, however, the one that had the biggest impact was obtaining his Eagle Scout degree. This is a notable achievement because of the years of work and community service required for this degree. One of the requirements was to build a community service project, Brandon installed a native plant garden for an elementary school. Brandon has also represented Cardington FFA at the National FFA Parliamentary Procedure contest.

Morrow Soil and Water is very pleased to have Brandon as our 2026 Don McGinnis Memorial Scholarship recipient and wish you all the best.

Robert Wuerts Jr. Memorial Scholarship: Cheyenne Cottrell

Congratulations to Cheyenne Cottrell, daughter of Carrie and Dan Cottrell and graduate of Northmor High School. Cheyenne was chosen to receive the 2026 Robert Wuertz, Jr. Memorial Scholarship.

In the fall, Cheyenne will be attending The Ohio State University, ATI in Wooster to pursue a major in Agriculture Education and a minor in Agriculture Production. With these degrees, Cheyenne would like to teach

agriculture at the high school level and run a show cattle operation where she can assist low-income families to have the opportunity to show.

During Cheyenne’s time at Northmor, she was active in FFA and earned her State Degree, served with the Chamber of Commerce in Galion and the Galion Kiwanis Club. Working at Rus-Men Farms has given Cheyenne a great deal of experience by showing multiple species of livestock through 4-H and FFA.

Morrow Soil and Water is very pleased to have Cheyenne as our 2026 Robert Wuertz, Jr. Memorial Scholarship recipient and wish you all the best.

Steve Ruhl Memorial Scholarship: Emma Smith

Congratulations to Emma Smith, daughter of Justin and Ashley Smith of Mt. Gilead, Ohio for being selected as the 2026/2027 Steve Ruhl Memorial Scholarship recipient.

Emma is currently enrolled at Purdue University, majoring in Agronomy-Crop Soil Management with her long-term goal to obtain her master’s degree in the area of Soil Science.

Emma believes that becoming a soil scientist will allow her to assist in mitigating soil erosion, while allowing time for for lab work and conversing with producers.

Emma is the current Nation Recording Officer for Students of Agronomy, Soils, and Environmental Science, a member of the Purdue Soil Judging Team, The Purdue Agronomy Ambassador, Under-graduate Research Assistant for the USDA National Soil Erosion laboratory, and previous Soil Science Teaching Assistant.

Morrow Soil and Water is very pleased to have Emma as our 2026 Steve Ruhl Memorial Scholarship recipient and wish you all the best.