The Wine Industry Scholars Program (WISP) is dedicated to supporting the access, retention, and graduation of students who are children of vineyard and winery workers. WISP offers approximately $150,000 in scholarships annually.
WISP donors include the Kalmanovitz Foundation; Rodney Strong Vineyards; Cooperages 1912; Gary Heck of Korbel; Walt and Sylvia Klenz; Mel and Craig McKibben; Carol O'Hara of BPM; Ron Rubin of The Rubin Family of Wines; Barbara Talbott and John Riley; Gould Evans; Douglas Thornley and Susan Lundquist; Chris and Kathy Burt; Wine.com; Wells Fargo; Scott Laboratories; and Silverado Wine Grower.
Candidate Eligibility Requirements:
- Must be classified as a degree-seeking undergraduate student at Sonoma State University.
- Must have a minimum overall 2.5 GPA in his/her/their high school (if a first-time freshman) or college-level coursework (if a current college student). (GPA will be verified through Sonoma State University's Admissions and Records Office.)
- Must come from a family where one or more wage-earning adult(s) are or have been employed in the wine industry, in a wine business, or in a position that is agriculturally-related to the wine industry.
- Must be classified as a first-generation and/or low-income student according to SSU's financial aid system, and must not be a current recipient of a scholarship through the Wine Industry Scholars Program.