Ag Expo participation leads to scholarships – North Fort Myers Neighbor
Five recipients were recently awarded the SWFL Ag Expo 2025 4-H/FFA Scholarships in multiple categories.
University of Florida IFAS Extension Lee County 4-H Agent Arielle Pierce said the first year the SWFL Ag Expo began they looked at the needs of the community to see where they could give back. The greatest need was to give back to the youth, so they can hopefully stay rooted in agriculture.
The path of looking for a career in agriculture in the future began the opportunity for youth to apply for scholarships.
“It has been a really good two years. We are looking forward to the traction that we have had,” Pierce said.
The scholarships were open to any senior division youth ages 14-18 who participated as a livestock or creative living exhibitor during the 2025 SWFL Ag Expo. She said it provides a head start for the recipients to start saving for college, trade school, or wherever their life takes them.
The majority of the youth who have received the scholarship participate in the North Fort Myers clubs.
“What is unique about this specific scholarship is it is more on the life skills they are learning,” Pierce said of both hard and soft life skills. “We are giving them the ability to show off their skills.”
The winners included Lainey Fisher for the SWFL 4-H/FFA Agriculture Expo Senior Scholarship for $1,000, Simeon Kumher for the SWFL 4-H/FFA Extension Food Systems Scholarship for $500, Whitney Taylor for the SWFL 4-H/FFA Leadership Scholarship for $500, Veronica Rosauer for the SWFL 4-H/FFA Exemplary Citizenship Scholarship for $700 and Boone Stewart for the SWFL 4-H/FFA Graduating Senior Scholarship for $1,200.
Rosauer said she feels honored to have been chosen as the recipient of the scholarship, as well as a great accomplishment as she has shown her animals over the years there.
“I have been involved in 4H for 12 years. I got started because my mom found the organization. I have been involved with all my siblings in it. I made so many friends and I have learned so many work ready skills through the organization,” she said.
Rosauer has shown rabbits, chickens and ducks. Ducks are her favorite because they are very unique.
“I have shown them twice,” she said of the ducks. “Every time I have shown them, I learn something new.”
Rosauer said she enjoys showing them because she brings their pool, which is accompanied by the public asking many questions.
“They can be pretty loud. I showed a pair – a girl and a boy. When you separate them, they can get noisy. Everyone always loves to pet them,” she said.
Although she graduated out of the program, she is returning as a volunteer and has one more BBQ contest – one of the last things she will be doing.
Rosauer, who lives in Fort Myers and was a homeschool student, is now attending Florida Southwestern State College where she is studying nutrition and biology with the hope to become a nurse.
There are many skills from 4-H that she still uses. Some of those include leadership, self-managing time and her responsibilities, organizing a schedule for work, school and caring for her animals and being able to talk with people.
“Being able to talk with people has really helped me overcome my fear of talking to anyone or presenting a presentation to new people,” Rosauer said.
Community remains her favorite part of 4-H. She said everyone she has met has always stuck out to her as someone who has inspired her or become a friend.
“I have made my best friends through 4-H. All the adults are phenomenal – inspiration for me, and always look up to and always reach out to them for advice,” Rosauer said. “If anyone is interested in 4-H definitely try it out and experience it. Everyone should try it out. It will change your life.”
Fisher said she has participated in the Ag Expo for the last two years, and has done a great deal with 4-H.
“I am obviously very thankful for the scholarship,” she said.
Fisher was in 4-H for seven years, starting in seventh grade. She became involved in the state and national level showing hogs and goats across the state.
The goats went to nationals with Fisher and the hogs went to the local market shows.
“I have gone to almost everything 4-H has offered me – every state event and executive board,” she said.
Through the years she has acquired many life skills – public speaking and how to talk to others, communication and working skills.
Fisher now attends Florida Gulf Coast University where she is pursuing environmental studies. This is her first semester.
“I am more prepared for college because of 4-H,” she said. “I collaborate with others on assignments and keeping up with deadlines.”
In 4-H, she had to keep record books and keep up with expenses and how much feed her hogs had each day.
“It definitely taught me a lot of skills I will carry on for the rest of my life,” Fisher said.
There are two avenues to take in her studies – the legal side of agriculture, and the land development side. She said it is important that the natural wetlands are preserved in Florida and that the middle ground is found for agriculture land and in a growing state.
“Once I get out of school there are two options – go to be an agriculture lawyer, or more into the science area – soil,” Fisher said.
When she was 7, her family moved to the Buckingham area from Mississippi.
“Honestly, it is exciting,” Pierce said about this scholarship opportunity. “There are a lot of opportunity out there for youth. Life is competitive. It is exciting to give another opportunity.”
She went on to say that there are never enough ways to recognize children and the youth in the community.
A phenomenal aspect of this scholarship is the community can help, as the funds are derived from the community giving back during the buyback period of the market animal auction.
“The community recognizes the need for it and supportive of it as well,” Pierce said, as the funds have been enough to award every scholarship for two years. “They can continue to give back to the scholarship fund in the buy back process.”
The market animal auction is usually the last Saturday of the SWFL Ag Expo.
“That is honestly one of the largest ways people can give back to the scholarship,” Pierce said.
She said there is an agricultural culture in Lee County, which receives support from a lot of families for the programs to keep it alive.
“We try to create as many opportunities to success as much as possible,” Pierce said.
The theme of the 2026 Southwest Florida Ag Expo is “Roots ‘n’ Rides: A Celebration of Tradition,” which will be held from Thursday, Feb. 26, through Sunday, March 8, at the Lee County Civic Center Complex, 11831 Bayshore Road. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will kick off the event at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 26.
The theme was chosen to honor the area’s agricultural heritage while continuing to spotlight the Southwest Florida youth involved in 4-H, FFA, and other programs.
There will be livestock exhibitions, creative living displays, midway rides and attractions, as well as food. For more information visit swflagexpo.com. NFMNL
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