NSBA Foundation Scholarship
About
The NSBA Foundation awards one scholarship annually in the amount of $2000 in honor of academic merit and financial need. The recipient will receive $1,000 the first year, and the next installment will be awarded the second year. The program is open to any current NSBA youth member who will be attending an accredited college or university on a full-time basis, for a minimum of 12 credit hours. The Foundation's scholarship fund relies strictly on donations, and accepts donations of any size as well as special memorial scholarship contributions to present the award each year.
The road to the NSBA Foundation Scholarship begins with an application, which can be downloaded below. The NSBA Foundation's volunteer selection committee reviews all applications, essays and scholastic scores to determine the annual recipient. Interested youth may apply beginning December 1, 2022. Completed applications must be received by February 1, 2023. You could be the next recipient of the NSBA Foundation Scholarship. Don't be late, time to fill out those applications! If you have any questions regarding eligibility or the application, please feel free to contact the National Snaffle Bit Association at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Alexa Gerdes
Alexa Gerdes, of Dodge City, Kansas, has been named the NSBA Foundation’s 2022 Scholarship Recipient. Alexa was chosen from an outstanding group of candidates to receive this year’s scholarship. She will receive a total of $2,000 over the next two years.
Alexa will attend Texas Christian University this fall and plans to study forensic psychology. She hopes to pursue a career in the Behavioral Analysis Unit within the Federal Bureau of Investigation as a criminal profiler/psychologist, which involves conducting detailed analysis of crimes.
Alexa’s horse connections also led her to talk with a member of the FBI about the forensic units within it and further define her career goals. “Our youth advisor, Bobbie Hinds, introduced me to another youth family whose father worked for the FBI,” she said. “I was able to sit down with him and learn more, and it really cemented my decision for my career.
“I was fortunate to take one of the very first forensic science classes offered in the state of Kansas during my junior year of high school. We studied everything from fingerprint analysis to DNA to use of fibers as evidence and autopsies. I loved the class,” she said.
Previous Recipients
Lola Knight
2021 Recipient
Lola Knight, of Kernersville, North Carolina, plans to study equine business management or business administration as she pursues a career within the horse industry.
“When I found out I could make a career by training and boarding horses, my decision was made. There was no question in my mind that this was what I wanted to spend my life doing,” she said. Lola has already worked for Steve and Jennifer Reams as well as Jeremy May, learning the life of a professional horse trainer. She also serves as North Carolina Quarter Horse Youth Association’s 2021 press secretary.
Antonia Dinulescu
2020 Recipient
A multiple APHA world champion from Dallas, Texas, Antonia plans to use her $2,000 scholarship to pursue a career as a trauma surgeon at the University of Texas Austin.
"This scholarship means a lot to me," Antonia says. "Seeing the support of all the people within the association for all the youth is such a great feeling. I've learned so much from working with horses that will help me as I pursue my goals in college, and I having this scholarship will help my parents and me out so much."
Delanie McClanahan
2019 Recipient
Of Belton, Texas, Delanie plans to use her $2,000 scholarship to pursue a career in neurosurgery at Texas Christian University.
Delanie is a Novice exhibitor who was a three-time champion at the AQHA Central Level 1 Championship Show and has placed in the top ten at the All American Quarter Horse Congress. "I'm very excited to receive the NSBA scholarship, and to represent NSBA as [the 2019] winner," Delanie said.
Erika Vandevelde
2018 Recipient
Erika, of Casco, Wisconsin, plans to attend dental school with a focus in orthodontics at the University of Wisconsin Lacrosse with her $2,000 scholarship,
Erika has been competing in 4-H, Buckskin, AQHA and NSBA events since she was a little girl. "Horses have helped shape me to be the personal I am today," Erika says. "It's really great to be rewarded financially by an association that I've been showing and participating in for many years."
