Meet the 2021 Floret Scholarship Winners

For us at Floret, announcing our scholarship winners is one of the highlights of the year. Every time we read stories from around the world about people who want to cultivate beauty in their lives, we get inspired. Even more impressive was the commitment of so many applicants to continue to pay it forward and help others along the way. 

Another record-breaking year for our scholarship program. Over 4,000 applications were received from 79 different countries. We received essays from Botswana, Cambodia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Malta, Montenegro, Uruguay, Singapore, Tanzania, and beyond. 

We recruited members of the Floret team, my daughter Elora, a few longtime flower friends, as well as two past scholarship recipients, to serve on the review committee. A team of 13 people read all the essays and selected 107 finalists. I sat down to read and reread each of the finalists' essays after printing them, in order to try to narrow the list down to eight. Choosing the winners is always a difficult task, as there are so many deserving applicants. However, this was by far the most difficult decision I have had to make in nearly a decade of giving scholarships. The applicants were amazing! 

Having spent hours deliberating, we decided that choosing just eight was impossible. We increased the total to 12 full scholarships after a generous donor offered a partial scholarship for a grower in her home state. 

flowers 

Before I introduce the winners, I want to first express my heartfelt thanks to everyone who took the time to apply. Thank you for sharing your thoughtful essays, family memories, and personal journeys. I am so inspired by the dreams, aspirations, and beautiful life stories that were woven into the essays. 

Every year, a few key themes emerge as we read through the applications. This year’s themes reflect the wide-ranging, life-changing events from the past nine months. For example, we know that flowers bring joy; they spark memories and stir nostalgia; they show others we care; they provide comfort during life’s biggest moments and milestones. We’re hungry for more beauty and kindness in our world. I believe this is more true today than ever before. 

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