NC State Extension Master Gardener  
Volunteers of Union County

The NC State Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Association of Union County offered two 2025 Education Scholarships this year. The Scholarships were awarded to Jared Martinez-Silva, a graduate of Monroe High School, and Rachel Bartolucci, a graduate of Cuthbertson High School. The awards were presented just before the June 5 Successful Gardener program at the Union County Agricultural and Event Center.

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Rachel Bartolucci plans to attend North Carolina State University in the fall and will major in Biological Sciences. This program will allow her to explore what the science field has to offer and discover what profession she is interested in pursuing. She will be joining the Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) program at the university.

Jared Martinez-Silva will attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and plans to major in Environmental Science. He feels a strong personal commitment to environmental stewardship and with his degree, hopes to find solutions and effective methods to protect the environment for all inhabitants.  

We are very happy to award our 2025 scholarships to Rachel and Jared. 

Know a high school senior starting college in the fall of 2026?

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Applications for the 2026 Union County Master Gardener Scholarship are now open. The winning applicant(s) will receive $1000 from the Union County Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Association (UCEMGVA) in time to register for fall classes. 

This award will be based on academic standing, student personal statement and one teacher/counselor (or other non-family member) recommendation.

Application guidelines are as follows. The applicant must be

• a resident of Union County, North Carolina.

• a graduating senior (2026) attending school (public, charter, home, etc…) in Union County (NC), in good standing, with at least 3.0 GPA. 

• planning to attend a college or university and be majoring in botany, environmental studies, forestry, landscape architecture, horticulture, crop sciences, local foods, animal husbandry or related fields.

The student statement should explain why the student deserves this scholarship, educational goals and what they plan to do with their degree. The statement can be less than one but no more than two pages in length. Teacher/counselor (or other non-family member) recommendation should include why the student is qualified for this scholarship. Paper recommendation should be submitted with the scholarship application in a sealed envelope by the application deadline, April 1. 2026. Emailed recommendation may be sent separately before the deadline. Awardee will be notified by May 1, 2026. ​

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Click the links to download scholarship guidelines and scholarship application form. Please contact Michael Luther or Tina Sagartz with additional questions.

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