The Tennessee Council of Cooperatives has awarded a $500 scholarship to Melissa Brandon of Tazewell, TN. Melissa is a student at the University of Tennessee and is the daughter of Gatlin and Ginger Brandon. She is a senior working toward a bachelors degree in animal science and a minor in business. She is a member of the Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers, UT Block and Bridle Club and the Vice President of the Student Cattlemen’s Association.

The Tennessee Council of Cooperatives is a nonprofit organization established to promote the cooperative form of business through education and promotion of all types of cooperatives. The Council sponsors six college scholarships for agricultural students from each of Tennessee’s four-year agriculture programs: Austin Peay State University; Middle Tennessee State University; Tennessee Technological University; the University of Tennessee, Knoxville; the University of Tennessee, Martin; and Tennessee State University.

The scholarship program, started in 1984, is an effort to acknowledge and aid the young people most likely to return to communities served by rural cooperatives. TCC considers the scholarships an investment in the future of cooperatives and their leadership. Several scholarship recipients from the past currently serve in one of Tennessee’s cooperatives or in one of the state’s agriculture-related agencies which work with, support and help build cooperative businesses.

To be considered for the $500 scholarship, the student must be a citizen of Tennessee; enrolled in a college of agriculture; maintain an overall grade point average of 2.5 out of a possible 4 points; and, if possible, be in his or her junior year of study.

For more information about Tennessee cooperatives, the Tennessee Council of Cooperatives or the TCC scholarship, contact Rob Holland, with the Center for Profitable Agriculture at 931-486-2777 or rwholland@utk.edu or Joe Jackson with Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association, at 615-367-9284 or jjackson@tnelectric.org.