Sara Beth Pelham, a 2010 graduate of Bainbridge High School, is one of 10 winners of the Georgia Farm Bureau 2010 Scholarship for Agriculture.

Pelham, the daughter of John Wesley and Amy Leigh Pelham of Bainbridge, is a member of the National Honor Society, the Future Farmers of America and the Interact Service Club. She plans to study animal science at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, where she received the Presidential Scholarship from ABAC beginning with the 2010-11 academic year.

Combined with the HOPE scholarship, the Presidential Scholarship will cover the cost of tuition, fees, books, room and meals for as long as Pelham meets the scholarship requirements while attending ABAC.

“We are very pleased with the performance of our current Presidential Scholars, and I am confident that Sara Beth will also make a positive impact on our student body,” said ABAC President David Bridges. “We are happy that she chose ABAC.”

Georgia Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall said, “We’re extremely proud to help Sara Beth and the other scholarship winners in pursuing their dreams. Each of them has performed well in the classroom and in a variety of extracurricular activities, and we’re confident they’ll continue to achieve success as they move beyond high school and pursue careers in agriculture.”

The scholarships, intended to recognize and assist deserving and outstanding young people who are pursuing college degrees in agriculture and related fields, are for students who plan to enroll in a unit of the University System of Georgia or Berry College for the 2010-2011 academic year. Three top awards of $3,000 each were awarded, and Pelham was one of seven students awarded $750 each.

She is interested in pursuing a degree in animal science and hopes to work in animal science genetics one day.

“I have always dreamed of going to ABAC for the strong animal science program,” Pelham said. “I’m also really excited about meeting new people.”

Pelham, who lives in Faceville, is getting a taste of the ABAC campus this summer when she stays in the ABAC Place Apartments while attending the University of Georgia Young Scholars Program at the UGA Tifton Campus. In the fall Pelham will live at the ABAC Lakeside Suites with a friend from Bleckley County that she met through lamb shows.

At Bainbridge High School, Pelham plays the oboe in the marching, concert and symphonic bands. She also participates in the Interact Service Club, FFA, National Honors Society, and Spanish Honor Society. In addition to her school involvement, she is a member of the First Baptist Church youth group and has dedicated countless hours to organizations in the community.

Pelham plans to be involved with the ABAC concert band program. She also has extracurricular interests in the ABAC Ambassadors leadership program and collegiate FFA.