Meet Abigail Avila, our 2026 Carol Phan Memorial College Scholarship Winner!
Welcome, Abigail, to the “ForCarol Scholarship family”. 🙂
Abigail is planning to attend Modesto Junior College majoring in Agricultural Communications / Dairy Science.
Congratulations on your winning submission!
We wish you the best of luck in college and look foward to getting your first semester update this coming Christmas. 🙂
Abigail’s Winning Submission and Poem
A deep passion for the future of the agriculture industry has shaped who I am today and continues to guide my goals. My name is Abigail Avila, and I am currently a senior at Tracy High School, actively involved in a wide range of academic and extracurricular activities. For the past four years, I have been a member of the Agricultural/Scientific Academy, a program that has instilled in me the values of grit, responsibility, and community engagement. A key component of this program is the senior project, designed to address a need within the community. For my project, I led the full renovation of a two thousand five hundred square-foot livestock barn to provide FFA members with a safe and accessible space to house their SAE projects prior to the county fair. After identifying the need for improved facilities, I secured $19,000 in funding from Mr. Robert Rickman and collaborated with contractors and district officials to design and construct the barn. This experience allowed me to make a lasting impact while strengthening my leadership, problem-solving, and project management skills.
In addition to my involvement in the academy, I am actively engaged in both Student Government and the FFA organization. As a Marketing Commissioner for Tracy High School, I manage the school’s social media platforms, keeping the community informed about events while increasing student engagement. One of my most meaningful accomplishments in this role was helping lead the creation of Tracy High’s first lip dub, a school-wide music video that showcased our students, staff, clubs, and athletic programs. The project fostered school pride and reached audiences beyond our campus, demonstrating the power of digital media. Within FFA, I serve as both a chapter and sectional officer, representing and supporting over 12 schools. I have also participated in the Marketing Cooperative and Dairy Cattle Judging teams, as well as job interview competitions. In addition, I manage two SAE projects: raising a replacement dairy heifer and co-managing our school’s chicken cooperative, where I oversee member responsibilities, scheduling, and animal care. All these experiences have been a vital part not only to my personal develop but has impacted my high school journey. They have reinforced my commitment to combining my passion for agriculture with digital media and marketing in my future career.
Roots That Run Deep
Before the sun begins to rise,
And paints the sky in unforeseen skies,
There’s quiet strength within the land,
A future built by steady hands.
Boots meet soil, the work begins,
In fields where growth and grit both win,
Where patience grows like rows of grain,
And purpose stands through loss and gain.
In corduroy, in blue and gold,
Are stories written, brave and bold,
Of early mornings, late-night tries,
And dreams that stretch beyond the skies.
A jacket worn with pride and care,
Represents the will to dare,
To lead, to serve, to always strive,
To keep tradition strong, alive.
It’s more than crops or livestock shown,
It’s lessons learned and seeds we’ve sown,
In speeches given, hands that teach,
In every goal we dare to reach.
Agriculture feeds the soul,
A quiet force that makes us whole,
And through FFA, we come to see,
The leaders we’re all meant to be.
So here I stand, both firm and true,
With dirt-stained hands and steady view,
Rooted deep in all I’ve grown—
This passion, proudly, is my own.
Drive Safe! Never Forget
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ForCarol: Drive Safe! Never Forget 