High school seniors in Fishers looking for college financial help are encouraged to apply for the Fishers Police Corp. Jen Grillo Memorial Scholarship. The $1,500 scholarship is available to a City of Fishers’ senior student who has an interest in pursuing a career in the criminal justice field.
Students who attend Fishers High School or Hamilton Southeastern High School or who are home schooled or attend a high school elsewhere but are Fishers residents are eligible to apply for the scholarship.
James Alvis, an officer with Fishers Police Dept. and creator of the scholarship, said the program has grown over the last 15 years.
“It’s been a long time, but I think the scholarship was my idea during one of the organization’s roundtable discussions,” Alvis said. “It started out as a $500 scholarship, and now it’s grown to $1,500.”
The scholarship was created to memorialize a previous treasurer for the organization, Jen Grillo. Alvis said Grillo volunteered throughout the Fishers community, including with the TherAplay Foundation, a nonprofit based in Carmel that provides people with special needs physical, occupational and speech therapy by working with horses.
Grillo was killed in a car accident 15 years ago.
“Jen was a really great person and amazing to work with,” Alvis said. “Really, the scholarship is about honoring her by helping out local kids with college costs. We know $1,500 isn’t a lot, but it helps a Fishers student get a leg up on the costs of school.”
To apply, students must have a minimum GPA of 2.5, be accepted to an accredited college or university, seek to attend school full-time and possess school leadership, community commitment and a desire to contribute to society. Students must fill out and submit the application found at fisherspolicecorps.org/scholarship, and include a typed or handwritten 500 minimum-word essay on why they have chosen a law enforcement-related career and how they specifically plan to meet their goal.
Two letters of recommendation are required: one from a school teacher and one from either a school counselor, coach or community leader.
The deadline for applications is March 29. For more, contact Alvis at [email protected].
