Sandibel “Sandi” Sandoval, the daughter of Vincente Sandoval who has worked in Smithfield’s Denison, Iowa, facility for 15 years, funded her education via the Smithfield Scholarship Program.
She is the first in her family to attend college and recently graduated from Iowa State University.
“I was 3 years old when I was brought over from Mexico. They really wanted us to get a better education. He knew we could get that here and not in Mexico because they did not get that themselves,” Sandoval said in a recently released video.
Sandoval spoke about the impact the scholarship had on her family in this video.
Her father said it was very important for him to be able to have his daughter go to college. When his daughter found out she was going to receive a scholarship, she said it was a huge weight lifted off her shoulders.
“The thought that my dad works for a company that doesn’t just support him but also his family is great,” Sandoval said in a release. “They’ve helped him out more than what I can imagine a company would help out, and it’s been great to have that kind of support system for me and my dad. When Smithfield says ‘Good is What We Do,’ they truly do mean it.”
Smithfield Foods awarded more than $740,000 to 13 schools in seven states to fund educational scholarships for the 2023-2024 school year. Since launching the program in 2002, Smithfield has awarded more than 1,600 educational scholarships totaling nearly $9 million.
The scholarships are need-based and awarded to eligible dependents of full-time and retired Smithfield employees. Students can receive up to $7,500 annually in scholarships to participating colleges and universities for four years. For additional information about participating schools, academic programs and individual scholarship application processes, visit smithfieldfoods.com/scholarships.
