Mountaire Farms, the nation’s sixth largest chicken producer, recently awarded 28 students with $2,500 scholarships to help them pay for college. Children and grandchildren of employees, growers and grain suppliers are all eligible for the scholarships, which were announced at luncheons in Delaware and North Carolina recently.
“We are proud of this program because it embraces everything that we care about — our employees, our growers, our grain producers and their families,” said Phillip Plylar, president of Mountaire Farms. “And these students have all demonstrated a commitment to their education, and to their communities, which we believe should be celebrated.”
Speaking to the students and their families this year was Daniel Reifenstein, who is participating in Mountaire’s Management Trainee program after successfully serving as an intern at the company. The Management Trainee program accepts recent college graduates and other candidates for leadership roles and exposes them to every aspect of the business during a 50-week training period.
This year’s local scholarship recipients include:
• Thelma Marian Godinez Gault, a graduate of Stephen Decatur High School who lives in Bishopville, Md. Her mother, Maria Gault, works as the further processing superintendent at the Selbyville processing plant. She will be attending Salisbury University.
• Sourasack “Michael” Sananikone, a graduate of Indian River High School who lives in Selbyville. His father works as a maintenance refrigeration mechanic at the Selbyville processing plant. He will be attending the University of Delaware.
• Vicky Vazquez, a graduate of Stephen Decatur High School who lives in Berlin, Md. Her mother, Maria Vazquez, works as the further processing superintendent at the Selbyville processing plant. She will be attending Salisbury University.
• Hannah Slacum, a graduate of Delmarva Christian High School who lives in Ocean City, Md. Her father, Scott Slacum, is a technical services manager at the Millsboro processing plant. She will be attending Coastal Carolina University.
• Colton Schweiger, a graduate of Sussex Technical High School who lives in Berlin, Md. His mother, Angie Schweiger, works as the ERP manager at the corporate office in Millsboro. He will be attending Salisbury University.
• Payge Hudson, a graduate of Delmar High School. Her father, Allan Collins, is a grower in Millsboro. She will be a freshman at Virginia Tech.
• McKenna Longo, a graduate of Sussex Technical High School, from Bridgeville. Her father, Mark Longo, is the transportation supervisor and DOT compliance specialist in the corporate office in Millsboro. She will be attending the University of Delaware.
