Each received either a $2000 or $1000 scholarship, said JoAn Giannoni of Dixon, chair of the Friends’ scholarship committee and secretary of the Friends. Applicants for the annual scholarships must be residents of Solano County and must be majoring in an agricultural-related field.

The recipients are Katrina Castaneda of Vallejo; Melissa DiFrancesco and Honah Watson of Vacaville; Jody Gates and Charles Hamilton of Rio Vista; and Ashley Holton-Westhaver and Benjamin Wheeler of Fairfield.

Judging was on personal, civic and academic experience; academic standing; personal commitment and goals; leadership potential; and civic accomplishments. In addition, 4-H, FFA or Grange experience is desired, but not mandated.

Next year plans call for a special scholarship in memory of Ester Armstrong, former Dixon May Fair interim chief executive officer and a longtime fair industry executive, said Donnie Huffman of Vacaville, president of the Friends of Dixon May Fair. Armstrong died May 15 in Roseville after a long illness.

Katrina Castaneda, a 2005 graduate of St. Patrick-St. Vincent High School and a 2009 graduate of UC Davis, has just been accepted into the School of Veterinary Medicine. In her youth, she served as both a Solano County 4-H Ambassador and a California State 4-H Ambassador. Seeking to give back to the 4-H program and fairs, Castaneda partnered with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the UC Davis Veterinary Medicine Extension Public Programs Division to address the growing biosecurity threats to 4-H animals at California fairs and shows. She and her team visited fairs to assess biosecurity risks to food animals to “ensure their safety.”

Melissa DiFrancesco, a 2008 graduate of Vacaville Christian High School, is a UC Davis student who plans to become an equine surgical veterinarian. She began riding horses at an American Canyon ranch at age seven. To pay for her training, “I volunteered my time at Hampton Court Horses (American Canyon) for 11 years, working every weekend over eight hours a day,” she recalled. At UC Davis she obtained two internships at the UC Davis Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital. Each Tuesday she spent time in the equine medicine department, which includes emergency and surgical units. She also assisted once a week in the small animal intensive care unit.

Honah Watson, a 2009 graduate of Vacaville High School, is enrolled this year at Feather River College, Quincy, where she will major in equine/animal science. Active in FFA for four years, she received her state degree, the highest FFA award given in the state. Watson showed dairy goats and market lambs at the Dixon May Fair for four years. For the past six years, she has volunteered at a local horse ranch. She plans to pursue a career as a riding instructor or an ag teacher.

Jody Gates, a 2007 graduate of Rio Vista High School, is a student at California State University, Chico. She plans to become a ranch manager for her family’s business and an elementary school teacher. “I can relate the importance of agriculture in our lives more accurately to the children if I have learned other parts of the curriculum,” she said. Gates is the second vice president and rush chair of Sigma Alpha, the professional agricultural sorority at Chico State. “We have women in agricultural careers come and talk to us about their jobs, how they got there and what we can do to get better jobs.”

Charles Hamilton, a 2007 graduate of Rio Vista High School is attending California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, majoring in agribusiness management. Born on a sheep ranch in Rio Vista, he hopes to make a difference in ag technology, creating or advocating new technologies to benefit farm operations. He seeks innovative GPS systems to improve dryland farming operations and hopes to reduce “the overlap of the planter, disk, sprayer and other equipment used and the potential of how this new system could increase the efficiency of the farming operation.”

Ashley Holton-Westhaver, a 2008 graduate of Armijo High School, is a student at California State University, Chico, where she is majoring in animal science. She hopes to become a dairy consultant or a ruminant nutritionist. A past president of the Armijo FFA, she showed livestock all four years at the Dixon May Fair and Solano County Fair. Holton-Westhaver earned her FFA state degree and is currently working on completing her FFA American degree.

Benjamin Wheeler, a 2009 graduate of Rodriguez High School, Fairfield, plans to major in environmental science this fall at the University of California, Davis. An Eagle Scout, he said achieving the rank helped shape his life. “When I was at my Eagle Board of Review (the final step on the path to Eagle), I was asked the following question: ‘What is so important to you about getting Eagle?”

Wheeler responded: “It’s not about the rank; it’s about the path that it took for me to get here. It’s about the perseverance, the hardships, the leadership, the courage, and the trials that it took for me to get there. After all, it’s just a fabric patch. The patch doesn’t matter because it’s not the patch that makes you who you are. It’s the patch that tells others what you’ve done.”

In addition to Gianonni, members of the Friends of Dixon Fair Scholarship Committee are Tootie Huffman, John Howard and Kathy Keatley Garvey of Vacaville and Carrie Hamel of Dixon.

The fundraising arm of the Dixon May Fair, the group sells beverages at the four-day fair and uses the proceeds for building and grounds improvements; college scholarships; junior exhibitor awards; and awards for the royalty court, horse show, dog show and demolition derby.

The deadline to apply for the annual scholarship is March 1. More information is available on the Friends’ Web site at ww.friendsofthefair.org.