Wheelhouse Credit Union (Wheelhouse) has awarded five $1,000 “Badge of Honor” Scholarships to college-bound students, honoring the heroic efforts of San Diego County’s first responders and their families.
In the third year of the Badge of Honor program, scholarships were awarded to rising college freshmen with a parent/grandparent/legal guardian who is an active member of law enforcement, fire protection service, healthcare or EMT in San Diego County.
The Wheelhouse 2022 Badge of Honor Scholarship recipients are:
“We have tremendous gratitude to our first responder heroes and their families for all they do to support our San Diego community. Our Badge of Honor scholarships honor and acknowledge the dedication and sacrifice our first responder families make in their commitment to serving others,” said Wheelhouse President/CEO Lisa Paul-Hill. “We congratulate each of these scholarship recipients for their outstanding high school achievements, and wish them the very best as they begin their college journey.”
Beyond having a parent, grandparent or legal guardian as a first responder, all recipients recently graduated from San Diego County high schools with plans to attend an accredited college. Award criteria included academic achievement, letters of recommendation, an essay about the first responder in their family, and a desire to make an impact on their schools and communities.
The Badge of Honor scholarships are in addition to the Credit Union’s annual Sustainability College Scholarship Program, which was created in 2005 to support high school seniors in San Diego County. Since the creation of these programs, Wheelhouse has awarded $106,000 in scholarships to local students.
Wheelhouse President/CEO Lisa Paul-Hill (second from left) presents scholarships to Badge of Honor scholarship recipients (L-R) Ember Yanez; Alyssa Sutherland; and Alaina Austin.