NEW PARIS — Local senior Abigail Rodefer was the recipient of the 2020 Charlene Reidenbach STEM scholarship presented by the Eastern Indiana Gem and Geological Society of Richmond, Indiana. The award was presented at the annual Richmond Gem and Mineral Show on Sunday, March 8.
This annual award, now in its 16th year, is open to seniors at all Wayne County high schools, as well as National Trail High School in Preble County, who plan to pursue careers in the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering or math. Applicants must have GPAs of 3.0 or higher and a strong record of extracurricular involvement and community service. Information on this scholarship is available at http://eiggs.weebly.com/scholarship-application.html
Abbey is the daughter of Andy and Melissa Rodefer. She is a senior at National Trail High School and plans to attend Wilmington College where she will study animal science and agribusiness.
During her high school years, Rodefer has excelled in all her classes, especially math and science. She is a National Honor Society member and has served as treasurer. FFA has been a big part of her life, too, and she has served as chapter president and has been chosen as an Ohio FFA State Proficiency Award Finalist.
She has also found time to volunteer in local activities like the Preble County Pork Festival and has worked with Bags of Hope through FFA, providing meals for local families in need. Through NHS she also worked at the local food pantry.
In addition to juggling those responsibilities, Rodefer also works at her fourth-generation family farm.
“The farm has provided me with a passion for agriculture and it became clear to me early on that I needed to pursue a career in agriculture,” she said. “My hope is to eventually come back to my family farm and leave the land better than I found it.”
