Nearly $20,000 Awarded Through 3rd Annual Essay Contest

NewSun Energy is proud to announce the winners of the 3rd Annual Climate + Ag Scholarship Essay Contest and will award a total of $19,500 to 11 graduating seniors from across rural Oregon. The students, selected by a panel of regional leaders, stood out for their thoughtfulness, storytelling, and connection to the future of agriculture and energy in their communities.

This year’s recipients represent a diverse group from Crook, Lake, Harney, Sherman, Wasco, Morrow, Gilliam, Coos, Curry, Crook, Douglas, Klamath, and Umatilla counties. Their essays explore the complex topic of how climate change is affecting their community, including ranching and farming practices or other related impacts, and how their communities are adapting by blending personal experience with reflection, lived experience, and global awareness.

• Grace Budre, Crook County High School (Prineville), who plans to study agricultural law, described the financial and emotional burden of climate volatility. “Whether working on water rights legislation or assisting farmers with disaster relief, I want to be a legal advocate for those who work in agriculture,” she explained. Budre will attend Oklahoma State University.

• Madison Duarte, Lakeview High School (Lakeview) outlined her family’s use of no-till farming and crop rotation, while calling for balance between renewable energy development and food production: “Renewable energy helps the environment — but we need enough food to feed the world.” Duarte will attend California Polytechnic State University.

• Kale Cornell, Burns High School (Burns) shared a firsthand account of bringing calves into his family’s house to survive record-breaking winter temperatures. “With over six feet of snow… calves were freezing to the ground or getting buried immediately after being birthed,” he wrote. Cornell will attend Saint Cloud State University.

• Kali Rockwell, Dufur High School (Dufur) explored the promise and controversy of carbon farming in her wheat-growing community. Through interviews with Dufur farmers, she highlighted the potential of regenerative practices like no-till and multi-crop planting to combat soil depletion and weather extremes. “Although this may be an investment now, it will overall pay off in the long run,” she wrote. Rockwell will attend Central Oregon Community College.

• Jack Jensen, Klamath Union High School (Klamath Falls) interviewed a local rancher for his essay, painting a vivid picture of drought, heat, smoke, and shrinking livestock herds. “With this drought, she had to reduce her herd from 500 cows to around 200,” he wrote, underscoring the high stakes of adaptation. Jensen will attend Utah State University.

• Doctor Welp, Oregon Connections Academy (Arlington) shared his wonder at windmills dotting his family’s farmland and a researched examination of wind power’s benefits and challenges. “Even though I cannot make decisions about this project … I still have the same awe for windmills as I did when I saw them in the night, as a child,” he wrote. Welp will attend Oregon State University.

• Julianne Jones, Pendleton High School (Pendleton) traces her family’s five-generation legacy in agriculture and wildfire resilience, inspired by her great-grandfather’s teachings on defensible space and firebreaks. Now aspiring to be an aviator with the U.S. Forest Service, she wrote: “Wildfires are not just something to fight — they’re something to prevent. My duty will be to identify risks from the air and help protect the forests and farmers below.” Jones will attend Utah State University.

• Amelia Holloway, Elkton Charter School (Elkton) wrote about how a snowstorm and subsequent flooding nearly destroyed her grandparents’ ranch and retirement. “These fourteen inches of snow generated an estimated $8,000 worth of damage … After almost 24 days of no power… my grandfather never retired,” she wrote, tying climate impacts to rural legacy and survival. Halloway will attend Southwestern Oregon Community College

• Mason Orem, Heppner High School (Heppner) discussed carbon farming and its role in protecting soil quality and supporting multigenerational farms. “There is a delicate balance between doing what is right and what is best for yourself,” he wrote. Orem will attend the University of Idaho.

• Peyton Simonds, Bandon High School (Bandon) explored the effects of unpredictable rainfall, warming oceans, and wildfire smoke on cranberry farming, fishing, and tourism in coastal Bandon. “One bad season can mean real financial hardship,” she wrote. Simonds will attend Whitworth University.

• Rank Herrera, Penn Foster Online School (Coquille) reflected on how climate change has reshaped his sixth-generation ranching family’s expectations and traditions. “My ancestors dreamed of owning and living off the land … but my parents have encouraged me to look outside our fences for a skill and means to support myself,” he wrote. Herrera will attend Southwestern Oregon Community College.

“These students have seen firsthand how droughts, floods, heatwaves, and wildfires threaten rural livelihoods and generations of hard work,” said Jake Stephens, Principal and CEO of NewSun Energy. “Their essays show that adaptation—through renewable energy, irrigation upgrades, and soil conservation—is possible. It’s our privilege to invest in their future.”

This year’s review committee included 20 leaders from across Oregon, including legislators, nonprofit executive directors, renewable energy policy and legal experts, solar construction partners, county commissioners, and conservation and workforce development leaders, as well as staff from NewSun Energy.

Now in its third year, the NewSun Climate + Ag Scholarship is open to graduating high school seniors in select rural Oregon counties who plan to attend college in the fall. More information about eligibility and past winners can be found at newsunenergy.net/scholarship.

NewSun Energy is a renewable energy development and investment company advancing clean power solutions across the Pacific Northwest. Specializing in electric power grid interconnection and transmission for Bonneville Power Administration markets and public power customers, NewSun has developed over $200 million in solar energy facilities and manages a multi-billion-dollar pipeline that includes solar, wind, battery storage, and pumped storage projects. Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Bend, Oregon, NewSun leads a high-viability development pipeline exceeding 10,000 megawatts. Committed to community impact, NewSun has invested over $1 million in grants, scholarships, and local initiatives. Learn more at newsunenergy.net.