NEW LONDON — A new scholarship opportunity is available for Kearsarge Regional School District students interested in criminal justice and emergency services, which will make higher education a little more affordable for one lucky recipient.
The New London Police Benevolent Association announced the creation of a $500 scholarship last month.
The scholarship is available for Kearsarge Regional High School graduates and seniors pursuing a two or four-year degree in criminal justice or another emergency services related field.
The association, which is a non-profit organization composed of both officers and dispatchers, formed the scholarship following their final business meeting last year.
The association’s bylaws set forth that its purpose is to “fund special programs that will benefit the children and public safety of the Town of New London.” With that goal in mind, members were interested in creating a scholarship.
The association worked fast to turn that initial idea into a real scholarship in a couple of months.
The scholarship comes at an appropriate time, as national job growth in criminal justice and emergency services fields continue to rise.
Lieutenant Emily Cobb said that students in the district are showing interest in the fields because they possess a strong desire to help people. The association was in communication with the high school guidance department during the creation of the scholarship.
“By creating this scholarship for Kearsarge graduates, our goal was much more than to provide a monetary donation to these students,” said Dispatcher Austin Brown, who serves as the vice president of the association and as chair of the scholarship committee.
“That goal in fact was to motivate these students entering this profession to strive for success within the criminal justice or emergency services field.”
While this is the scholarship’s first year, the association hopes that funding will allow them to continue to offer it.
The association has received a handful of applications and Brown hopes to receive more in the following weeks.
The deadline for applying is April 15. Interested students are encouraged to visit the New London Police Benevolent Association Facebook page or contact Brown at [email protected].
As your daily newspaper, we are committed to providing you with important local news coverage for Sullivan County and the surrounding areas.