Freddy Mendez Urbano has been awarded the Ushio Sakazaki–Proven Winners® Plant Breeding Scholarship for the 2025–2026 Proven Winners Horticulture Scholarship Program. This prestigious scholarship supports students dedicated to developing innovative plants for the floriculture and nursery industries. Advised by OPGC Director Yu Ma, Freddy conducts research on begonia germplasm conserved at the Ornamental Plant Germplasm Center (OPGC). His research supports the future improvement of begonia, with a goal of advancing cold tolerance through breeding.