To honor the heroic efforts of San Diego County’s first responders during the COVID-19 pandemic, Wheelhouse Credit Union (Wheelhouse) has launched a new “Badge of Honor” Scholarship program.
The scholarships are available to current high school seniors who have a parent, grandparent or legal guardian who is an active member of law enforcement, fire protection service, healthcare or EMT in San Diego County. The Badge of Honor program will award a $1,000 scholarship to five graduating high school seniors who demonstrate leadership, public service, and a desire to make an impact on their schools and communities.
“As we all face new challenges and uncertainty during this unprecedented time, the first responders who are on the front lines working to protect all of us are the true heroes,” said Wheelhouse President/CEO Lisa Paul-Hill. “We want to thank our first responders, and recognize the sacrifices they and their families are making as they work around the clock to help our communities and keep us safe. We encourage high school seniors who have parents, grandparents or guardians working as first responders to apply for one of our scholarships so we can help support them and their families.”
Beyond having a parent, grandparent or legal guardian as a first responder, applicants must be San Diego County high school seniors who maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.0 and plan to attend an accredited college. Award criteria include academic achievement, school/community involvement, letters of recommendation, and an essay about the first responder in their family.
Interested students can find more information and apply online at WheelhouseCU.com/scholarships. Applications will be accepted through June 30, 2020; recipients will be announced in August, 2020.
The Badge of Honor scholarships are in addition to the Credit Union’s annual College Scholarship Program, which was created in 2005 to support high school seniors in San Diego County. Since the creation of the program, Wheelhouse has awarded $73,000 in scholarships.