The University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) welcomed its fourth cohort of students chosen for the CAES Rural Scholars Program this fall just weeks after celebrating the program's first graduation.

Georgia Orman, one of four inaugural Rural Scholars in CAES, graduated in May with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural education.

The new scholars for 2024, all from Georgia, are Ela Ash of Ocilla, Lauren E. Coley of Cochran, Amelia Housley of Canon, and London O’Steen of Ambrose.

Meet the newest Rural Scholars

Ela Ash, Ocilla, Georgia

An agribusiness major, Ash comes to CAES with a wealth of high school experience with FFA, serving as Georgia FFA vice president in 2022-23, as Area V vice president in 2022-23, and vice president of the Irwin County FFA from 2021-23.

In addition, she was a member of Beta Club and winner of the Tommy Bagwell Endowment Washington Leadership Conference Scholarship in 2022. She was on the 4-H S.A.F.E. shotgun team and volunteered in many service projects with Ocilla Baptist Church.

“Involvement within FFA and growing up surrounded by a community of agriculturalists prepared me for this opportunity. I will forever be indebted to those who have poured into me over the years, which made the decision to desire a career in the agriculture industry an easy choice,” Ash said. “I have absolutely loved my time here at UGA! Within CAES the opportunities are endless, and the community is second to none. I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.”

Ash is supported by the Richard B. Russell Foundation.

Lauren E. Coley, Cochran, Georgia

Growing up in a town with less than 6,000 people, Coley spent her teens involved with Georgia 4-H, the performing arts and community service. She started a club advocating for mental health awareness that is still in place at Bleckley County High School. 

In her first semester, Coley, a student in Morehead Honors College and a regenerative bioscience major, has embraced campus involvement as a CURO Scholar performing undergraduate research with the Regenerative Bioscience Center and as a member of the Sigma Alpha Professional Agricultural Sorority and the Regenerative Bioscience Undergraduate Society.

“I've loved my time at UGA, and being a member of the Rural Scholars cohort and other campus organizations has helped the university feel smaller and so much like home,” Coley added.

Coley is supported by the UGA Parents Leadership Council.

Amelia Housley, Canon, Georgia

Housley is pursuing a major in animal biosciences and a minor in avian biology on the pre-veterinary track, focusing on the food animal and equine industries. During high school, she worked with several veterinary practices as a veterinary assistant and ran a blog and podcast called AG Beat to promote agricultural awareness among the public.

“With my unique blend of academic focus, hands-on experience and leadership skills, I can't wait to dive into the agricultural field. I'm looking forward to making meaningful connections and working together to shape the future of agriculture and veterinary care," Housley said. 

Housley is supported by the CAES Rural Scholars Scholarship Fund.

London O’Steen, Ambrose, Georgia

O’Steen is from a small, rural community in Coffee County, Georgia, and was raised on her family’s fourth-generation farm. Established by her great-grandfather as a small dairy farm after World War II, the farm now produces row crops including cotton, corn and peanuts.

She learned of the new regenerative bioscience major in September 2023 when she attended a UGA First Look event.

“I listened to a CAES professor pitch the regenerative bioscience degree and it piqued my interest. I’m currently in the very first class of regenerative bioscience with Dr. Holly Kinder and it’s even more interesting than I could have ever imagined,” O’Steen said. “I look forward to building my knowledge base in this subject and maybe even apply to medical school in the future.”

O’Steen is the Lee Family CAES Rural Scholar.

Supporting rural students

Designed to recruit and retain outstanding students from underrepresented areas of the state, the Rural Scholars Program was launched in 2020 through the vision and financial support of Keith Kelly, a 1980 CAES graduate and founder, president and CEO of Kelly Products; his wife, Pam Kelly; and 1983 CAES alumnus Robert Varnedoe.

The initial gifts established two endowed scholarships to provide perpetual funding for students from rural areas, as well as two additional, non-endowed funds to provide immediate support for the program. Since that time, endowed and non-endowed funds from other donors have supported recruitment, professional development and scholarships, bolstering the program over the past four years.

For more information about ways to support and continue to grow the Rural Scholars Program, visit caes.uga.edu/ruralscholars. To support the fund directly, visit the CAES Rural Scholars Operational Fund.