Four Missouri Residents Among the First Class of Higher Potential Scholarship Awards Winners

We’re excited to announce that four Missouri residents are among the first class of the DaySavers Higher Potential Scholarship Award Winners, a first-of-its-kind initiative to help forge the next generation of cannabis industry leadership.

Consisting of more than 200 prizes totaling more than $25,000, the Higher Potential Scholarship provides opportunities for current and future members of the industry, all donated by 25 different brands, businesses and organizations inside the cannabis space.

Both Alex Thorton of Columbia and Jamell Butler of St. Louis were named Top Award Recipients.

Thorton was awarded a package of prizes including a mentorship with Erin Kirk, Esq. from the Connecticut Office of the Cannabis Ombudsman; a meeting and advisement session with Melissa Moore, Co-Coordinator of Horticulture Department at SUNY Niagara; free seats in the Green CulturED Responsible Vendor Training Program and specialized certificate program of his choosing; and a package from Ganjactivist that includes a media package featuring coverage and promotion as well as event access and experiences with The Legacy Project.

Thorton is a 2021 St. Louis University Cannabis Science and Operations program graduate and a certified Ganjier. He has worked as a cultivator and currently works as a community liaison for a horticulture company that makes organic growing media and supplements for plant cultivation. He says his goals in the industry are centered around “helping the small farmer, the user interested in moderating consumption, and those formerly convicted of cannabis charges.”

“I would love to promote a cannabis workers education guide as well as a cannabis consumers education guide because so much of the information about cannabis today is just marketing,” he wrote in his application essay, adding, “Most important to me is doing everything in our power as a community to help those who are incarcerated be released.”

Butler was awarded a membership to Women Employed in Cannabis, a mentorship with Erin Kirk, Esq. from the Connecticut Office of the Cannabis Ombudsman, free seats in the Green CulturED Responsible Vendor Training Program and a specialized certificate program of her choosing, and a tuition-free seat to the Operator Academy.

Butler is a cultivation technician, working hands-on with plants. She says her goals in the industry are to advance her technical expertise and to “create pathways for education and access in communities that have historically been left out of cannabis conversations” and inspire other women to take roles in the cannabis industry.

“I want to expand my impact from the grow room to the broader industry, using my voice and my hands to ensure cannabis continues to thrive as both an economic engine and a source of healing,” she wrote. “This scholarship will allow me to not only invest in my own development, but also give back by mentoring and inspiring other women who are ready to step into this space.”

Additionally, Daniel Ford was awarded tuition-free seats to both Operator Academy and the Green CulturED Cannabis Education Programs. Christine Green also received a tuition-free seat to Green CulturED.

Winners come from 30 different states and were selected based on their application and personal essay detailing their background, interests, passion and journey in the cannabis space.

The Higher Potential Scholarship Initiative is part of DaySavers’ broader mission to advance cannabis education, equity and industry innovation. Founding sponsors include Custom Cones USA, the DaySavers family of brands, Ganjier, SUNY Niagara and Cannabis & Tech Today, among others.

“These awards will help provide potentially life-changing access to education about one of the fastest-growing and most exciting industries in the country, impacting both the lives of the students and the business of cannabis in general,” said James Valentine, DaySavers’ Communications & Content Marketing Manager and Scholarship Administrator. “This is an investment in people and in the future of the industry.”

Other Higher Potential Scholarship recipients received:

• Education & Resources: Tuition-free seats in cannabis programs from Ganjier, SUNY Niagara, Operator Academy, Green CulturED, Veterinary Cannabis Society, and resources from DaySavers, Sage Advice, Women Employed in Cannabis, and CannaSiteCo.

• Mentorship: One-on-one developmental mentorships and experiences with industry leaders Dr. Miyabe Shields and Dr. Riley Kirk (Co-Founders of Network of Applied Pharmacognosy), Harrison Bard and Fredrik Rading (Co-Founders of Custom Cones USA), Jessica Ferranti (Founder & CEO of The Mycelia Group), Erin Kirk, Esq. (Connecticut Cannabis Ombudsman), Ashley Manta (Creator of CannaSexual), Trinity Madison (Founder & CEO of Camp Laughing Grass), Ishqa Hillman (Founder & Host of The Canna Boss Babes), and M. Omari Jackson (Founder & CEO of Ganjactivist).

• Industry Access: Event access and editorial opportunities through Marijuana Venture, Cannabis & Tech Today, NECANN, IgniteIt Cannabis, CannaCon, The Cannabis Alliance, Fill-a Blunts, and Smoke Temple.