Northwest business students awarded national Growmark scholarship

Two Northwest Missouri State University students are among the recipients of scholarships awarded recently by Growmark Foundation for the fall 2026 semester.

Mya Barnes

Audrey Coffey

Mya Barnes and Audrey Coffey, who are both junior business management and marketing majors at Northwest, were among the 55 students selected to receive the Growmark Foundation scholarship.

Each recipient receives a $2,000 scholarship. Nearly 700 students from across the United States and Ontario, Canada, applied for the program, which supports students pursuing agriculture and business-related degrees.

“When I found out that I had been selected to receive the Growmark scholarship, I was very excited and, most importantly, grateful for the opportunity,” Barnes, a native of Beloit, Wisconsin, said. “This scholarship is very meaningful and will provide support by easing the financial burdens of my education. It will also allow me to focus more on my academic and professional goals as I work towards my future.”

Similarly, Coffey, a native of Harrisonville, Missouri, said, “I felt so honored to receive the Growmark scholarship. It means a lot that there are organizations like this that value education. I will be able to use this for my tuition and ease my mind as I go through the year, taking my mind off of financial burdens and allowing me to focus on school.”

Barnes is a member of the Bearcat track and field team, in addition to serving as co-chair of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee and a student mentor with the Student Athlete Success Program. After completing her bachelor’s degrees at Northwest, she plans to enter graduate school and pursue a career in human resources or marketing.

“Northwest gives me many opportunities to develop skills for my career,” Barnes said. “Altogether, this helps me learn time management, teamwork, discipline and resilience, which are all valuable skills for life and my career ahead.”

Coffey serves as junior class president with Northwest’s Student Senate, in addition to her involvement in the Navigators and student employment as a student ambassador, peer advisor and social media assistant for the School of Computer Science and Information Systems.

“Northwest is helping me build valuable communication skills that are unique to a small school,” said Coffey, who plans to pursue a Master of Business Administration degree at Northwest after completing her bachelor’s degrees. “I can connect with my professors, classmates and community members more than I would at any other school. Being heavily involved has allowed me to push outside my comfort zone and make new connections.”

Growmark is an agricultural cooperative serving other cooperatives, retailers, businesses and customers in the U.S. and Canada. It provides a variety of services, from warehousing and logistics to training and marketing support. 

The Growmark Foundation is a charitable organization with a focus on youth and young leaders, education, charity, agriculture and cooperative giving.