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Poway High's Matthew Kelly Wins $5K Don Diego Scholarship

Kelly, who once named a pig "Kevin Bacon," is being recognized for his work with the Future Farmers of America.

The Don Diego Scholarship Foundation has chosen Poway High School's Matthew Kelly for a $5,000 award based on his academic record and work with the Future Farmers of America.

"Matt has excelled academically while holding leadership roles within FFA, raising a variety of animals, winning major livestock showing honors and exhibiting a genuine love of agriculture," Don Diego Vice Chair Jon Liss said in a statement. "We were impressed by his public speaking skills, his senior project on farm management and his desire to eventually establish a swine operation focusing on the improvement of genetics. His commitment to agriculture mirrors our Foundation’s original and continuing intent.”

Each year, the foundation provides scholarships to high school seniors in four categories related to the San Diego County Fair: Fair Exhibitor, Fair Employee; 4-H and Future Farmers of America (FFA). Kelly, who is the president and treasurer of the Poway FFA and vice president of the San Diego section, is being recognized in the FFA category.

"I will use the scholarship to attend Iowa State University, where I will start my transition from a Future Farmer of America to a True Farmer of America,” Kelly said in a statement. "I am looking forward to a new chapter in my life. The $5,000 scholarship is huge, especially since I’ll be paying out-of-state tuition.

“I sincerely believe that the Don Diego Scholarship Foundation is investing not only in me, Matt Kelly, as a person, but in the future of agriculture.”

Kelly said he plans to major in agriculture business/animal science.

The foundation, started in 1986, is named after Tom Hernandez who was the legendary host of the San Diego County Fair as Don Diego from 1947 until he died in 1984.


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