BIPOC students studying wine and viticulture encouraged to apply for scholarship
From left to right: Myles Adams, Cal Poly Wine and Viticulture student Class of ’22; Jeff O’Neill, CEO of O’Neill Vintners & Distillers; Justin Trabue, Cal Poly Wine and Viticulture Class of ’17, Assistant Winemaker at Lumen Wines; Simonne Mitchelson, COO Natural Action Wine Co.; and Charles Woodson, Intercept Wines and Former NFL Player. Photo courtesy of Christina Schmidhofer.
–O’Neill Vintners & Distillers with Charles Woodson have announced the Charles Woodson & O’Neill Family Wine Scholarship, a new series of college scholarships with California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo and Sonoma State University. The scholarships aim to recruit and retain high-achieving Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) interested in pursuing a career in the wine industry. The scholarships will be available to students accepted at the respective Universities for the upcoming Fall 2021 semester.
BIPOC students applying to the undergraduate programs in Wine and Viticulture at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo or Wine Business Institute at Sonoma State are encouraged to apply for these scholarships.
The application portal for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo will close Dec. 4, 2020 and the Sonoma State University application portal will close Dec. 15, 2020. Prospective students may refer to the links below for more information on the application process. While these scholarships will offer two students the opportunity to complete a 4-year degree, the goal is to encourage additional donors and wine industry support to create funds for full or partial scholarships to offer more BIPOC students entree to the wine industry.
“I cannot think of a better way to support the next generation of young BIPOC wine professionals than with scholarships at the top universities in the heart of America’s wine country,” said Charles Woodson, former NFL player and partner of Charles Woodson’s Intercept Wines with O’Neill. “I look forward to getting to know future recipients of the Charles Woodson & O’Neill Family Wine Scholarships.”
The scholarship, in partnership with two California universities, will cover 100-percent of the tuition and room and board to support recipients over their entire college career. The ongoing scholarships will fund one student at each university at a time. O’Neill Vintners & Distillers will provide internships and mentors to offer hands-on learning opportunities for scholarship recipients to enhance their college experience in the wine industry.
“I hope this initial scholarship gift will inspire other members of the wine community to support our top universities in reaching the BIPOC community,” said Jeff O’Neill, CEO of O’Neill Vintners & Distillers. “In both my personal and professional life, I have made community service a priority – and what better way to support the wine community than to create a nurturing environment for the next generation. I am so excited to partner with Charles Woodson yet again and welcome the scholarship recipients into our O’Neill Vintners & Distillers family.”
Click here to contribute to and find more information on the Cal Poly Scholarship.
Prospective students interested in attending Cal Poly, learn more here.
Contribute to and find more information on the Sonoma State University Scholarship.
Prospective students interested in attending SSU, learn more here.
For more information, visit www.ONeillWine.com.
Comments
