Empowering the Next Generation of Food Scientists
IFT's Feeding Tomorrow Fund is fueling future leaders through scholarship support.
Josiah Muriuki takes feeding the world seriously. An honors student in food science at the University of Pretoria, South Africa, he founded the Tule Sote Initiative, a school feeding program that provides nutritious, affordable meals to children in underserved areas of his home country of Kenya. “In Swahili, ‘tule sote’ means ‘let’s all eat’” Muriuki says.
If that achievement weren’t enough, Muriurki also directs Beta Mentor Africa, a youth-led program, also based in Kenya, that connects elementary and high school students with academic opportunities and international scholarships. In September, he joined the Board of Directors of the Institute of Food Technologists Student Association (IFTSA), a springboard for future leaders in food science.
Last spring, Muriuki’s academic achievement and commitment to social impact and leadership earned him the inaugural Academic and Travel Undergraduate Hybrid Scholarship, a prestigious award from the Feeding Tomorrow Fund and PepsiCo. The award provided Muriuki with a $5,000 academic scholarship in addition to a $1,000 travel stipend to attend IFT FIRST: Annual Event and Expo in Chicago last July.
“Receiving this award holds a profound significance for me on both a personal and professional level,” Muriuki says. “This prestigious accolade not only recognizes my dedication and commitment to the field of food science but also provided me with a transformative opportunity to attend IFT FIRST.”
Every gift to IFT’s Feeding Tomorrow Fund has the potential to empower the next generation of leaders, like Muriuki, and help them build food science careers that will positively impact global food system challenges whether it’s improving food safety and nutrition or working toward greater sustainability and accessibility.
Your donation helps remove financial barriers and allow talented young people from across the globe to access the resources, training, and experiences they need to thrive in the food science field. Help us shape the future of food science and make a real-world impact.