Madison Phillips is pursuing her passion for agriculture, and the next step on that path just got a nice boost.

The Locust Grove High School senior was chosen as the recipient of this year’s Henry County Master Gardener Scholarship. It is valued at $2,000 and will be applied to her studies next year at the University of Georgia’s School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences.

The scholarship program is run by the Henry County Master Gardener Volunteer Program, which donates funds every year to facilitate discovering qualified and deserving scholars who are seeking higher learning in the field of agricultural science. Phillips received word of her selection in late April from the Henry County Cooperative Extension office.

Her academic record is impressive. A member of the ‘A’ honor roll every year of high school, where she has participated in the agricultural sciences pathway, Phillips is ranked 19th in her class of nearly 350 at Locust Grove as well as a student government officer. She accomplished this while taking multiple honors and advanced placement courses.

“She has engaged in rigorous coursework while also mastering technical skills and building an impressive resume,” said LGHS teacher Abbey Brown.

Last summer Phillips was a national delegate representing Georgia FFA (Future Farmers of America) in Indianapolis. She created an elementary school agriculture advocacy program and has participated a wide range of community service initiatives through her church, various school clubs and the local Humane Society.

According to Brown, she stepped up and established a program at Unity Grove Elementary School to get young people interested in science and agriculture at an early age. “She recruited a team and worked weekly to prepare an outdoor learning environment for these students,” said Brown. “She then planned and implemented lessons for the elementary students as well. The elementary teachers felt comfortable working with Madison, and this experience allowed her to mature into an even more capable leader.”

A two-year member of the National Honor Society and a Beta Club member for three years, she has spent her senior year as her school’s yearbook editor. With more than 150 community service hours during high school, she enjoys spending her Sunday mornings teaching preschool children at her church.

“My number-one goal in college is to find a career that suits me and my love for agriculture,” Phillips noted in her scholarship application. Possible career paths include agricultural marketing, agricultural legislation/law, or as an agriculture teacher.

She is already researching programs and organizations at UGA that can provide the kind of fulfillment she found in high school. “I want to impact my college community while simultaneously growing myself and creating new connections,” she stated.

Another goal for college is to become a better advocate for agriculture and promote its importance in everyone’s lives.

“Madison is an excellent student both in and out of the classroom,” said Brown. “She has learned and mastered skills that will help her be tremendously successful in the future. These experiences have shown me that she will undoubtedly be successful in any profession that she pursues.”