LAUREL HILL — Norieliz Rodriquez, daughter of Eric Rodriguez Hernandez and Eva Gonzalez Vega of Laurel Hill, was recently awarded a $5,000 scholarship from the Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation, the charitable giving arm of Perdue Farms.
Rodriquez received one of 15 scholarships given this year to children of Perdue associates and independent contract farmers. Winners were selected based on academic achievement, extracurricular activities and community involvement.
Rodriquez will attend St. Andrews Presbyterian College in Laurinburg to study biology. Ranked sixth in her class, she graduated from Scotland Early College High School with a grade point average of 3.86.
Ever since Rodriquez was a small child, she has had a love for animals, especially horses. In ninth grade, she began to volunteer at an animal hospital where she took care of animals recovering from surgery.
“I had grown up hearing stories of my grandfather performing surgeries on abused animals in his neighborhood and as a result, I was made aware of the types of abuse and conditions animals can experience,” says Rodriquez.
Rodriquez plans to become a large animal veterinarian.
“I want to make an impact on the world, raise awareness of the severity of animal abuse and provide care for those animals,” she explained.
The Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation, the charitable giving arm of Perdue Farms, was established in 1957 by company founder Arthur W. Perdue and is funded through the estates of Arthur W. Perdue and Frank Perdue.
As part of the belief in supporting the communities where and with whom it does business, the Foundation provides grants on behalf of Perdue Farms in communities where large numbers of our associates live and work.
Leave a Reply