Fair Awards Scholarships to Alaska High School Students
$8,000 in scholarships presented to six college-bound students
Palmer, Alaska – Alaska high school students once again demonstrated their dedication, dreams and drive through their 2024 Alaska State Fair scholarship applications. The Fair received a total of 65 applications this year, and is honored to announce this year’s recipients:
First place – $3,000 scholarship: Elizabeth Djajalie of Juneau
Elizabeth Djajalie, a senior at Thunder Mountain High School, will attend Stanford University starting this fall. She plans to earn a bachelor’s degree that will allow her to pursue her “passion for STEM and society-oriented innovation.” In her Fair scholarship application essay, Djajalie drew parallels between the Alaska State Fair and the Alaska Science and Engineering Fair (ASEF), a statewide science fair for Alaska K-12 students. Her essay explored a creative way to utilize the Alaska State Fair’s platform to expand interest in STEM and raise awareness and encourage participation in ASEF. “This collaboration would enable the Alaska State Fair to doubly impact and educate Alaska’s youth and STEM communities,” Djajalie wrote.
Second place – $2,000 scholarship: Sophia Harper of Wasilla
Sophia Harper, a senior at Mat-Su Middle College School, plans to attend the Colorado School of Mines to study electrical engineering. Through a dual enrollment program, Harper will graduate high school with an Associate of Arts degree. Harper’s Fair scholarship application essay described her idea for a new free with Fair admission activity: FairQuest, a digital bingo/scavenger hunt game that would encourage fairgoers to explore aspects of the Fair they might otherwise miss, while raising awareness of Fair vendors and Alaska women in agriculture. “FairQuest has the potential to enrich the Fair experience for members of all ages, and become a staple event in the beloved Alaska State Fair,” Harper wrote.
Third place – $1,500 scholarship: Ty Harmon of Palmer
Ty Harmon, a senior at Mat-Su Career Technical High School, will attend Utah State University. “Growing up at the Alaska State Fair,” Harmon spent countless hours raising animals to show and sell at the Fair, as well as volunteering at the Fair petting zoo. His Fair scholarship essay demonstrated his expertise and enthusiasm for Alaska’s fish and fishing industry, and explained his idea for a Fair booth, featuring a fish tank, methods of catching fish, a net-pulling simulator, and a fly tying demonstration. “I believe highlighting one of Alaska’s most awe inspiring and amazing natural resources will inspire kids and adults alike to appreciate and protect fishing in Alaska for years to come,” he wrote.
4H/FFA/Vendor award – $500 scholarship: Inga Peterson of Fort Wainwright
Inga Peterson, a senior at FOCUS Homeschool, plans to enroll at the University of Alaska Fairbanks to pursue a career path in agriculture education or research. An engaged member of the Future Farmers of America (FFA), Peterson is passionate about supporting the success of agriculture in Alaska. Acknowledging all the ways the Fair already promotes agriculture, Peterson’s scholarship essay offered some additional suggestions for how the Fair can expand awareness, broaden participation, and invest in youth and the future of agriculture in the state. “As the Fair continues
to support agriculture efforts, I encourage them to consider the aspects of awareness, participation and youth as components of success,” she wrote.
4H/FFA/Vendor award – $500 scholarship: Matthew Fleischhacker of Chugiak
Matthew Fleischhacker will attend Delaware Valley University after graduating from Chugiak High School this year. His future plans include obtaining a degree in horticulture and opening his own greenhouse, retail store, coffee shop, gardens and art studio. Fleischhacker has participated as a Fair exhibitor for the past 10 years, preparing and entering exhibits in a variety of categories, including clay arts, photography, quilting, painting, knitting, flowers and vegetables, including his first giant cabbage last year. Over the years, his efforts have earned him more than 230 Fair awards. “I want to recreate some of the grand experiences that I have had as a child, or when attending the Alaska State Fair,” he wrote.
Honorable mention – $500 scholarship: Mackenzie Betts of Chugiak
Mackenzie Betts, a senior at Chugiak High School and Alaska Middle College, plans to attend Colorado Mesa University, where she will major in both criminal justice and Spanish, while competing on the school’s rodeo team. In her scholarship essay, Betts shared that her first rodeo was at the Alaska State Fair. “After that rodeo, I was hooked,” she wrote. Following that experience, she bought her first horse, joined the Alaska High School Rodeo team, won several Champion and Reserve Champion titles, and was crowned Miss Rodeo Alaska Princess. “For me, the Alaska State Fair is more than just a place to have fun, it is a place that allows dreams to come true,” she said.
About the Fair scholarship program Each year, the Fair awards scholarships to Alaska high school students, as part of its mission to “educate and entertain.” Scholarships are open to all Alaska junior and senior high school students who plan to attend college or vocational school. The application period typically opens in January and runs through March. Scholarships are awarded in May of each year. In addition to the scholarships, all students who submit an application receive two free admissions to the Fair.
