Wheelhouse Credit Union (Wheelhouse) has awarded five $1,000 “Badge of Honor” Scholarships to college-bound students to honor the heroic efforts of San Diego County’s first responders and their families.

In the fifth year of the Badge of Honor program, scholarships were awarded to rising college freshmen with a parent/grandparent/legal guardian who is an active member of law enforcement, fire protection service, healthcare or EMT in San Diego County.

“We are proud to honor our first responders and their families and express our appreciation to these heroes for their service and dedication to our San Diego community through these scholarships,” said Wheelhouse President/CEO Lisa Paul-Hill. “We congratulate these recipients for all their accomplishments. The heartfelt tributes conveyed by our award recipients demonstrated the tremendous impact, hard work, and sacrifice made by their first responder family members. We wish each of them the very best of luck in their college journey ahead.”

The Wheelhouse 2024 Badge of Honor Scholarship recipients are:

Beyond having a parent, grandparent or legal guardian as a first responder, all recipients recently graduated from San Diego County high schools with plans to attend an accredited college. Award criteria included academic achievement, letters of recommendation, an essay about the first responder in their family, and a desire to make an impact on their schools and communities.

The Badge of Honor scholarships are in addition to the Credit Union’s annual Sustainability College Scholarship Program, which was created in 2005 to support high school seniors in San Diego County. Since the creation of these programs, Wheelhouse has awarded $126,000 in scholarships to local students.