The Wisconsin Bankers Foundation (WBF), the non-profit arm of the Wisconsin Bankers Association, has recently awarded two Wisconsin students — Kaylee Pingel and Ian Schwartzlow — with the 2024 WBF Agricultural Banking Scholarship. Students applied in late 2024, and the scholarships were presented in early 2025.
The WBF Agricultural Banking Scholarships of $1,500 each are open to current students pursuing a degree related to agricultural banking at an accredited Wisconsin college, university, or technical college. Recipients are chosen based on their academic achievements, community involvement, career goals, and financial literacy.
Kaylee Pingel is a senior pursuing a degree in ag business at UW–Platteville. On campus, she is a member of the Ag Business Club, Association of Women in Agriculture (vice president of professional development), Collegiate Farm Bureau, Delight Ministries, Pioneer Dairy Club, and Professional Agricultural Student Organization (vice president and treasurer). She is a member of the Slinger FFA Alumni Association and previously served as vice president, secretary, historian, and agriculture teacher assistant. She received FFA accolades including the Chapter Proficiency Award for Agricultural Education, Degree: Chapter | Greenhand | State, Dekalb Agricultural Accomplishment Award, State Proficiency Award | Agricultural Education Gold Ranking | Section Winner | State Runner-Up, and Outstanding Service Award. Pingel is also a member of the Kohlsville Kruisers Snowmobile Club. Pingel currently works as a Wisconsin Communications Intern at Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin and as a customer service representative at National Exchange Bank & Trust. Her previous work experiences include the Professional Dairy Producers, Fold Song Farm, and Mayer Farms Beef, LLC.
In Pingel’s words, “Each and every one of these experiences whether it is business related or an extracurricular activity has impacted my life. I am committed to the agriculture industry and have a desire to pursue a career in the financial side of agriculture. I know that my passion will fuel my work in being part of an industry that is vital to our world. I look forward to giving back to an industry that has given me so much.”
Ian Schwartzlow is a junior studying finance at UW–Whitewater. He is vice president of corporate finance and banking in the UW–Whitewater Financial Management Association, a member of the UW–Whitewater Capital Markets Club, a student member of the Risk Management Association of Wisconsin, and served as president of the Monticello Chapter of Future Farmers of America (FFA) (2022–2023). He will begin an internship at First Business Bank in the summer of 2025. Schwartzlow shows dairy cattle and participated in the 2024 World Dairy Expo. In high school, he took second place in the Wisconsin State FFA Farm and Agribusiness Management Career Development Event, and he was recently honored with the American FFA Degree, a national-level achievement. Schwartzlow has gained career experience as a peer mentor in the UW–Whitewater, crop insurance intern at Compeer Financial, farm laborer at Quad-R Holsteins, and landscaping laborer at Jeff Voegeli Landscaping.
Schwartzlow said, “I want to be an ag/commercial lender in a rural community because I truly believe that rural bankers make a positive impact on themselves, on the bank, on the borrowers, and on the community at large. Bankers are looked up to in small towns; they serve as advisors, leaders, role models, and friends. I view becoming a banker as more than a job; it is a lifestyle. I enjoy math and numbers, and I want to use my skills to help farms and other small businesses succeed. My passion for agriculture also fuels my interest in this career.”
“Kaylee and Ian are exceptionally well suited for careers in agricultural banking,” said WBF Chair Rose Oswald Poels. “We are pleased to support their continued education and bolster the talent pipeline to serve Wisconsin’s rural communities.”
For more information on the Wisconsin Bankers Foundation and its annual scholarships, please visit wisbankfoundation.org.
