MYRTLE BEACH – Leigh Fleming, daughter of Jim and Paula Fleming of Clarendon County, was named the female state winner of the 2014 South Carolina Farm Bureau Federation Youth Ambassador Scholarship Contest held recently during the organization's 71st Annual Meeting in Myrtle Beach.
Fleming is a senior at Manning High School and plans to attend college to study agriculture and business. She was one of two state winners in a field of 27 outstanding young individuals representing 21 South Carolina County Farm Bureau chapters.
As the female state ambassador winner, Fleming received $150 in cash and a college scholarship fund in the amount of $2,000 – plus exposure to state agricultural and government leaders, and leadership training opportunities. She will also make selected appearances on behalf of agriculture and Farm Bureau, coordinated by the SCFB Promotion and Education Division.
The contestants were each pre-judged on their application and the essay topic: “How can young farmers and ranchers work to encourage membership growth and member engagement for the county, state and national Farm Bureau organizations?”
The three highest scoring young men and three highest scoring young women were each invited to make a three-minute oral presentation before a panel of judges. The male and female youths with the best overall scores were named the 2015 SCFB Youth Ambassadors.
