Congratulations to the 2024-25 CAIA Member-Sponsored Scholarship winners, who were honored at the Annual Fall Member Meeting on Sept. 12 in Pismo Beach, California.
Since 2017, CAIA has offered member companies the opportunity to sponsor scholarships for students within the California university and college systems. Yardney Water Filtration Systems is honored to sponsor four students, each receiving $1,000 in scholarships, and would like to introduce the awarded students to you!
Tatiana Avila is a second year BioResource and Agricultural Engineering (BRAE) major at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. She has worked for the Irrigation Training & Research Center (ITRC) as a shop and irrigation technician since her freshman year. This summer, Tatiana was part of the San Joaquin Valley irrigation evaluation team and gained invaluable experience assessing drip and micro irrigation systems. She is also a part of the Cal Poly Agricultural Engineering Society. Tatiana hopes to make an impact on agricultural and ranching communities by pursuing a career in irrigation engineering. In her free time, Tatiana enjoys outdoor and hands-on activities, such as running, backpacking, mountain biking, and wood working.
Alec Bruggeman is in his fourth year at Cal Poly, majoring in BioResource and Agricultural Engineering. He has always had an interest in biology, especially plant science and natural resource management. The BRAE department has been a great place for him to infuse these interests with math and engineering. Alec started working at the ITRC in March, and this summer has been performing on-farm evaluations across the San Joaquin Valley. These uniformity evaluations gave him firsthand experience with various types of irrigation systems and approaches to farming. Alec is also a member of the Cal Poly Grow Crew, where he enjoys building and designing hydroponic growing systems. He is grateful and honored to be a recipient of this scholarship.
Angel Lopez is a third year BioResource and Agricultural Engineering major at Cal Poly. He has worked at the Irrigation Training & Research Center since his sophomore year. Under Dr. Styles’ supervision, he has assisted in ITRC short courses and maintained the ITRC facilities. Angel’s interests within the BRAE department include working with his peers in the Precision Agriculture and Automation Club, where a team of students build an agriculture harvesting robot for the yearly ASABE competition. Angel is very grateful to have been selected for the CAIA scholarship. His studies in irrigation are only just beginning, but he is eager to explore and learn more about the industry.
Joseph Ross is a second year BioResource and Agricultural Engineering Major at Cal Poly. He grew up in nearby Visalia, California, and his family has a background in agriculture. Joseph started work for the Irrigation Training & Research Center in Spring and has since fabricated a flap gate, conducted flow measurements, and maintained facilities. During the school year, Joseph is involved in the Agricultural Engineering Society and spends time on projects in the BRAE fabrication shops. In his free time, he enjoys working on hot rods, surfing, and spending time outdoors. He hopes to further his skills and knowledge to pursue a career in water.
Congratulations to this year’s CAIA Scholarship winners!
CAIA is a network of irrigation professionals throughout California whose goal is to promote common ideals, standards and business practices. The CAIA also promotes the education of current and future industry members through irrigation certification classes and scholarship and internship programs for high school and college students. Through the support of its member sponsors, CAIA has awarded $54,000 in scholarships to students pursuing careers in the agricultural irrigation industry.
To learn more, visit www.calagirrigation.com.
