2023 Scholarship Winners
Three students received the Marias River Livestock Association Scholarship awards. The applications exceeded our expectations this year. The MRLA Scholarship Program was created to invest in the next generation of young people who plan to use their career to advocate for the advancement of the livestock marketing industry.
Greta Gustafson
We'd like to congratulate Greta Kay Gustafson, one of the recipients of our $500 scholarship from Marias River Livestock Association.
Greta had the privilege of being raised on the Two Medicine River in the Blackfeet Nation, on her family’s cattle ranch. She took part in 4-H and cow cutting activities; these experiences rooted her interest and appreciation for animals. In 2020, Greta earned a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology from Montana State University.
Presently, she is in her fourth year of veterinary school at Washington State University. During this year, she will be engaging entirely in clinical rotations at both veterinary teaching hospitals and private practices. She will be receiving her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine in 2024.
We would like to extend our congratulations to Jacob Hiartarson, one of the recipients of the $500 scholarship from Marias River Livestock Association. Jacob the youngest recipients and currently a senior in high school from Cutbank. He was raised in a rural area; his family operates a veterinary clinic, as well as owning a farm. During his upbringing, he spent time riding on machinery with his dad and grandpa, assisted in harvesting, and accompanied his father on after-hours calving calls. The animal industry has significantly impacted his life. He intends to attend Washington State University’s Veterinary School in Pullman.
JACOB HIARTARSON
Grace Rooney
We'd like to extend congratulations to Grace Rooney, one of the recipients of our $500 scholarship from Marias River Livestock Association.
Grace graduated high school in CutBank and has been involved with farm animals since she was a toddler. She began riding horses as a 3-year-old, and as she grew older, she joined 4-H and started with horse projects. Soon after, Grace added swine and lamb to her projects and remained in 4-H for 11 years.
Grace graduated from high school and went on to the University of Montana Western, where she's been studying Natural Horsemanship and Farm & Ranch Management. She's still not sure of her plans once she graduates, but her top two choices are training horses and working as an AI technician for cattle.