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.
![Fishers Police Corp. offers $1,500 to students 1 CIF COM 0117 cop scholarship](https://youarecurrent.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/CIF-COM-0117-cop-scholarship-200x200.jpg)
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].