AB Mauri North America has renewed its scholarship program with Kansas State University’s Bakery Science and Management program. The company has committed $50,000 to fund scholarships over the next five years.
The scholarship was launched by the company in 2017 and will be renamed the AB Mauri Jose Lopez Memorial Scholarship. Lopez spent more than 35 years in the baking industry and was the company’s vice president of technical sales when he passed away in May of 2023.
“Jose made a lasting impact in the baking industry, and we lost him far too soon,” said Rick Oleshak, vice president of marketing, AB Mauri North America. “The scholarship is a fitting tribute to our colleague who loved our industry and was committed to finding solutions to the challenges bakers faced.”
Kansas State University’s Bakery Science and Management program is the only four-year degree program of its kind in the U.S. Each semester, two students enrolled in this program will each be awarded a $2,500 AB Mauri North America Baking Scholarship.
Recipients of the scholarship will be students who demonstrate baking excellence, leadership skills and an understanding of industry trends. The scholarship recipients for this year, juniors Anna Staley and Emily Leihsing, were announced at the American Society of Bakers’ annual meeting in Chicago.
“As a graduate of the program, I know the curriculum students experience at K State wonderfully prepares them for the challenges of tomorrow,” said Paul Bright, innovation manager, AB Mauri North America. “Investing in the next generation of baking professionals benefits our entire industry and we are proud to support these students.”
“We appreciate the continued generosity of the team at AB Mauri and their financial support of our students,” said Hulya Dogan, Ph.D., G.M. Ross professor, and interim head of grain science and industry at Kansas State University. “We are honored to have this scholarship after Jose Lopez, and we know his legacy will live on in our graduates of this program.”
