Keota native Erin Chalupa has been awarded the Mid America CropLife Association Young Leader Scholarship. The $2,000 scholarship is awarded to one student from each of the 13 states that MACA works with. To be considered, one must have an educational focus on agriculture, be committed to an internship over the summer, and show promise as a leader in the farming industry. Chalupa checks all of these boxes as she is majoring in agricultural communications and will spend her summer as an intern with Valent USA. As for the leadership portion, Chalupa believes the sky’s the limit, “I plan to continue to promote the soybean industry in Iowa, Washington D.C., and possibly internationally by continuing to take advantage of every opportunity available.” Along with the other recipients, she is invited to speak at the MACA Annual Meeting in September to share their internship experience. Chalupa is currently finishing her sophomore year at Iowa State University.