For the third time, Yuengling Brewing has committed to sponsoring an annual $5,000 tuition award for one student veteran to attend USF St. Petersburg’s Brewing Arts Program. This is the fifth Veteran Award to be offered by the program. Previous sponsors have included Green Bench Brewing, Great Bay Distributors and 3 Daughter Brewing.
“Yuengling has identified some areas that it’s very passionate about supporting,” said Jessica Seiders, Communications Manager at Yuengling. “And one of those areas is our military. It was a natural fit when we discovered that there was a need at USFSP for a financial award that could support our military veterans to go back to school and enhance their career.”
The Brewing Arts Program is a collaboration between the USFSP College of Arts and Sciences and many local and national breweries. Launched in 2015, the program is designed for those who range from hobbyists to enthusiasts looking to make a career in the industry by working in a brewery or opening a brewery one day.
“Our student body is diverse,” said Jennifer Sedillo, Director of the Brewing Arts Program. “We have younger people who are just getting into their careers, people who’ve wanted to switch careers and even people who have retired and are looking to do something challenging and exciting.”
The Yuengling Veteran Award will allow a student veteran to learn foundational knowledge via online courses as well as complete hands-on training with a local brewery. The Brewing Arts Program trains two cohorts per year. The application deadline for this year’s Yuengling Veteran Award is June 23, 2019.
Best Florida Beers, a nonprofit that supports local brewing through statewide competitions, has also announced plans to offer a financial award to the Brewing Arts Program. The $5,000 award will be made in honor of the late Greg Rapp, the founder of Rapp Brewing and a pioneer of craft brewing in Tampa Bay.
“Greg was a mentor, role model and friend to so many in the industry,” said Jason Toft, Vice President of Commercial Brewing at Best Florida Beer and brewer at Crooked Thumb. “He helped launch a ton of careers. We wanted to give this award in his honor”
Best Florida Beer plans to open its applications this fall and award its first winner in 2020.