Alexandra Saueressig |
Ashley Vaughan |
Alexandra Saueressig of Center City, Minnesota, and Ashley Vaughan of Clive, Iowa were the winners of the 2015 John Crystal Award. Alexandra and Ashley received the Chrystal Award for their outstanding work as 2014 Borlaug-Ruan International Interns.
Alexandra completed her internship at BRAC in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Her research focused on the impact of agricultural credit on the social and economic empowerment of tenant farmers in Bangladesh. Ashley completed her internship at ICIPE in Mbita, Kenya. Her research focused on the role of gender in the adoption of climate smart push-pull technology in Western Kenya.
Alexandra is currently a freshman at Wellesley College, majoring in Environmental Studies and Economics. Ashley is a sophomore at Iowa State University where she is studying Biology and Global Resource Systems.
The John Chrystal Award was established in 2001 in the spirit of John Chrystal's commitment to enriching Iowa's relationship with the world and his belief that everyone is entitled to a sense of dignity and adequate food. The award is presented annually to the intern who most strongly reflects Mr. Chrystal’s commitment.
Alexandra and Ashley were selected as Borlaug-Ruan International Interns after representing their high schools at the World Food Prize Global Youth Institute in 2013. The Global Youth Institute provides high school students the opportunity to interact with Nobel and World Food Prize Laureates, connect with other student leaders from around the world, tour cutting-edge industrial and research facilities, and discuss pressing food security and agricultural issues with global leaders in science, industry and policy.