The Jessica Gavin Scholarship Program awards a $500 scholarship twice a year to a college student who wins our Essay Contest.
Jessica Gavin is a Certified Food Scientist and Certified Culinary Scientist who spent more than 11 years as a senior research scientist developing nutrition products. She was fortunate to be mentored by incredible professors during her studies, and this scholarship lets her pay it forward. Supporting future food industry professionals is one of her greatest rewards.
The food industry is an incredible field, and it needs more exceptional people who are passionate about advancing the science and technology of food. Through this twice-yearly scholarship, we are pleased to support future professionals interested in the food industry.
Essay Topic
Please tell us how you plan to use your education to solve the food challenges facing humanity. In a brief narrative, start with an introduction about who you are (your name and school), your area of study, and anything else you feel we should know about you. Then, please provide your entry in a 750-1000 word essay.
Judging Criteria
The scholarship will be awarded to the applicant who best demonstrates a genuine desire and goal to fix problems or improve conditions in our food supply. We will consider worthy deeds you have already performed.
Your own words, please. Your essay must be your own original work. You’re welcome to use tools for spelling and grammar, but essays written by AI (such as ChatGPT) are not eligible. We may ask finalists a few follow-up questions about their essay.
Scholarship Dates
- ✅ Spring 2027 (now accepting essays): the deadline is December 15, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time. The winner will be announced on February 1, 2027.
- Fall 2027: opens after the spring deadline. The deadline is July 15, 2027, at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time. The winner will be announced on September 1, 2027.
General Eligibility
To be eligible for our scholarship contest, you must be a current undergraduate or graduate student in a food science, nutrition, culinary arts, agriculture, or related program, or an incoming student who has been accepted into one. Students with full academic scholarships are not eligible to enter this contest.
Proof of enrollment must be provided:
We will accept digital scans of the following as valid proof of enrollment with your application:
- Unofficial or Official transcript
- Official enrollment verification form
- Acceptance letter on school letterhead
Additionally, you must:
- Submit your essay as a .doc or .pdf file (one entry per student per round).
- Submit a clear headshot no smaller than 300 pixels (width) of yourself. The image file must be in the following format: .PNG or .JPG.
How to Submit Your Application
Ready to submit? Just fill out our online application form.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Applying is completely free.
Yes, if you’ve been accepted to a college or university. An acceptance letter on school letterhead counts as proof of enrollment.
No. The scholarship is open only to students enrolled at a college or university in the United States.
Yes. You can submit one entry per round, so you’re welcome to apply again in a future round. Past winners are not eligible to apply again.
Please upload your essay as a .doc or .pdf file. Essays must be 750 to 1,000 words, including your introduction.
Jessica reads and judges every essay herself.
We will notify the winner by phone, email, and/or U.S. mail after judging is complete.
No. Only the winner is contacted. If you haven’t heard from us by the announcement date, you weren’t selected this round, but you’re welcome to apply again.
The $500 award is paid directly to the winner’s college or university, not to the student. Payment is sent after the winner is selected and has provided proof of enrollment and their student ID number.
Because the award goes directly to your school, it can only be used for education costs, such as tuition, fees and books.
Legal Disclaimer
Submissions: All content and creative work become the property of Jessica Gavin upon submission and may be reposted or displayed online or through any media channels, in whole or part, without notification. When you send email communications to Jessica Gavin, its agents and/or representatives may retain those communications.
By submitting an application, the applicant grants Jessica Gavin, its agents, and/or representatives permission to post the applicant’s name, school or university, applicant’s photo, and the winning entry on the website https://www.jessicagavin.com (Jessica Gavin) and in other marketing platforms, including but not limited to a blog, social media accounts, and related sites.
The winning applicant also agrees to assist Jessica Gavin and its agents with any tasks they deem reasonable or necessary to help with the above and other promotional activities.
Past Winners
Molly Eustace
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (Fall 2026)
Trish Le
Chapman University (Fall 2023)
Tholen Blasko
Washington State University (Fall 2022)
Leah Ward
Pennsylvania State University (Fall 2021)
Christopher Goh
University of Pennsylvania (Fall 2020)
Jonathan Brumley
University of Idaho (Spring 2020)
Aaliyah Puglia
Johnson & Wales University (Fall 2019)
Ayna Arora
The Ohio State University (Spring 2019)
Alyssa Dougherty
Iowa State University (Fall 2018)
Walaa Hussein
The Ohio State University (Spring 2018)
Samantha Burroughs
Oregon State University (Fall 2017)
Ariel Garsow
University of Minnesota (Spring 2017)
More Resources
The Jessica Gavin Scholarship Program is committed to aiding as many students as possible. However, because of the number of applications and limited resources, we can award only two scholarships each year. We are sharing the following list of scholarship resources to support your financial aid search.
Please note the deadlines and eligibility requirements. We wish all students the best as they endeavor to continue their education.
www.studentaid.ed.gov – information from the U.S. Department of Education on preparing for and funding education beyond high school
www.ift.org – The Institute of Food Technologists offers the most extensive Food Science resources for students and professionals. The site promotes several scholarships for students pursuing food science degrees.
www.culinology.org – the Research Chefs Association and Culinology® Scholarship Foundation offer scholarships for students studying the blend of culinary arts and food science
www.eatrightfoundation.org – the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation, the largest provider of dietetics scholarships, offers more than 300 scholarships for nutrition students through one application
Contact Us
Please use the contact information listed below for information regarding our scholarship programs.
Jessica Gavin Scholarship Program
scholarship@jessicagavin.com
