1st Choice Savings invests in the future of Lethbridge College agriculture students

1 st  Choice Savings and Credit Union is investing in the future of agriculture with a $55 thousand gift to support student awards in the school’s Bachelor of Agriculture Science degree program and the Agriculture Sciences diploma program.
  
“We believe if you want to invest in the future, you must also invest in the present,” says Jason Sentes, CEO of 1 st  Choice Savings and Credit Union. “These students are the future leaders and innovators of the agriculture industry, and to help them reach their potential, we want them to focus less on their financial worries and more on their studies.”
 
The school’s Bachelor of Agriculture Science flexible degree program comes from the Agriculture Sciences diploma program. The new degree program is the only of its kind in southern Alberta and is comparable to Bachelor of Science degree programs offered at the University of Alberta and University of Saskatchewan.
 
“The basis for this program came directly from talking to members of Alberta’s agriculture industry and addressing their needs,” says Byrne Cook, Chair, School of Agriculture. “The students in this program are committed to building innovative and sustainable careers in agriculture. The support from 1st  Choice Savings helps to relieve the financial burden on students, allowing them to focus on their studies, while preparing them for meaningful careers in agriculture.”
 
As a new program, there are few established awards available for Bachelor of Agriculture Science students, so 1st  Choice Savings’ gift will help to create student awards for the program’s earliest students, as well as students in the diploma program. The first recipients of these awards will be chosen this summer and will be based on a variety of criteria.
 
“We are thankful for the support and vision of partners such as 1 st  Choice Savings,” says Dr. Paula Burns, Lethbridge College President and CEO. “We are all connected in southern Alberta, and by supporting our students, 1st Choice Savings is really supporting the entire agriculture sector, our regional economy and the future of our region. We know our students have unlimited potential, and this gift will help them reach that potential.”