2010 Fire Scholars Program
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Merit Scholarships for Future Leaders
Congratulations to the following College and College-Bound students,
the 2010 Fire Scholars!
College Students
Will M. Wiegand, son of retired member Will Wiegand
Antoinette Kitch, daughter of retired member Lonnie Kitch
High School Students
Connor Valenzuela, son of Captain Steve Valenzuela
Kyle Barnes, son of Battalion Chief Ken Barnes
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| Connor Valenzuela, 2010 High School Fire Scholar, accepts his award from SDFRA Board Members George Duardo and Dan Faddis at the Fire Scholars Luncheon. |
With almost 20 applications received for these competitive scholarships, these students really stood out from the crowd. Please join us in congratulating them and their families when you see them.
Applications were scored and ranked by an independent, 3rd party educator. All identifying information is removed from each application to ensure that the winners are chosen by merit.
Each applicant must submit an exhaustive application form, official high school and college transcripts, and complete an essay which is the primary basis for the evaluation and scoring process. All applicants are ranked by score and returned to San Diego Fireman's Relief Association for announcement and presentation of the awards.
This year's scholarship luncheon took place at The Coronado Brigantine. Connor Valenzuela and Kyle Barnes, the high school Fire Scholars, were able to accept their awards in person, joined by their families at the event. Neither of the 2010 College Fire Scholars were able to get away from their studies to attend the awards luncheon, but their awards were accepted on their behalf by family members.
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| Kyle Barnes, son of Battalion Chief Ken Barnes, also became a 2010 Fire Scholar. |
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| Chief Mainar also attended to congratulate the 2010 Fire Scholars. |
This year's essay topic was about hope. Each student wrote about how they wanted to use their education to build a brighter future for our community and country. Following are excerpts of their thoughts on the power of education to dispel apathy and despair while instilling hopefulness.
"Paving the way for a brighter future is no small task, and obviously no single person has the capability of single handedly flipping America's recession around. It will take a cooperative effort to point this nation in the right direction again."
- Nicholas Ester, son of Battalion Chief Kevin Ester
"Through art, people will be far more inspired to finding out what the challenges are and what they are being asked to do to make a difference in the world."
-Katharine Rogers, daughter of retired Firefighter Jody Rogers
"I hope that my education can help me to help others in their quest for living healthy, active lifestyles."
- Madalon Cahoon, daughter of Firefighter Jack Cahoon
"I am determined to build a brighter future for the country by continuing to challenge my work ethic, and by educating myself about the problems our nation faces while remaining open to all possible solutions."
- Taylor Makena Diaz, son of Firefighter Antonia J. Diaz
Congratulations to all the applicants for this year's Fire Scholars program. You are all winners.
About the SDFRA Fire Scholars program
Eligibility Requirements
Applicants must meet the following membership and academic criteria:
Membership Criteria:
- Must be a dependent of a Relief Association member, either active duty or retired, and;
- Not have been awarded the SDFRA scholarship in the previous year;
- Not have been awarded two SDFRA scholarships in all prior years.
Academic Criteria
- A cumulative 3.0 Grade Point Average (G.P.A.) on a 4.0 scale;
- Current attendance as a high school senior planning to enroll full-time at an accredited two or four year college, university or vocational technical school, or;
- Current full-time enrollment at an accredited two or four year college, university or vocational technical school.
The scholarships are available because of generous donations from individuals and community groups.The first place award is the Fallen Firefighter Memorial Scholarship and will go to the highest scoring applicant in each category of applicants.
Applications are reviewed and graded by the San Diego Education Association.
The Relief Association Scholarship Program will accept applications until February 22, 2010 (postmarked) or personally delivered to:
2009 Scholarship Program
San Diego Fireman’s Relief Association
10509 San Diego Mission Rd., Suite F
San Diego, CA 92108
(619) 281-0354 x102
Application Process
1. Download the appropriate application for yourself or your dependent. Applicants fall under one of two classifications:
a. Current High School seniors who will graduate before June 30, 2010 and plan to attend college;
b. College students currently enrolled in an institution of higher learning.
2. Request official transcripts to be mailed directly to SDFRA. These must be certified, sealed transcripts- no copies!- and they must detail all high school and college coursework you have completed. All transcripts must be mailed directly from your educational institution(s) to San Diego Fireman's Relief Association. All transcripts sent to SDFRA must be postmarked by February 22nd, 2010. Copies or transcripts which come from any source other than the furnishing institution will not be accepted.
3. Complete the appropriate application and mail to the Relief Association office or deliver by hand. To be considered eligible, application packets must include all required forms and information by the deadline below:
If you mail your application packet, it must be officially postmarked on or before February 22nd, 2010.
If you deliver your application packet in person, it must be delivered no later than 5pm on February 22nd, 2010.
4. You will be notified by mail if your application is eligible to go on to the next step of the award process.
5. If you are eligible, you will be notified of the essay topic and requirements for completion of an essay.
6. Write your essay and submit it by the deadline given to you when you are notified.
Application information and essays are stripped of all identifying information before being forwarded to a third party education institution for review and scoring. No personal information is supplied to evaluators and selection of scholarship winners from the pool of eligible applications is based solely upon the score provided. Winners will be announced in March 2010 and awards will be given at our annual Scholarship Luncheon.
Download Your Application
Ready to get to work? Download the appropriate application form below. You will need Adobe Reader to view and print the application. Please type or print clearly; illegible applications will not be considered for awards.
There will be two scholarships awarded in each category. Applications are assigned a number to assure anonymity. Each applicant will write an essay, and then all applications and essays will be reviewed and scored by the San Diego Education Association. Winners will be announced in early March.
Download the Fire Scholars application for High School Students
Download the Fire Scholars application for College Students
Make a Tax-Deductible Gift to San Diego Fireman's Relief Association to support Fire Scholars
Are you a past scholar who has benefited from a Fire Scholars scholarship award? A family member of a student? A community member who wants to support higher education opportunities for firefighter families? Make a donation today. Thank you for your support!
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