Ramona Student Wins 'Badge Of Honor' Scholarship From Wheelhouse

RAMONA, CA — Three students were recently awarded "Badge of Honor" scholarships, honoring the heroic efforts of San Diego County's first responders and their families.

Wheelhouse Credit Union gave $1,000 scholarships to three college-bound students in the county, including a student from Ramona. In the fourth year of the Badge of Honor program, scholarships were awarded to students with a parent, grandparent or legal guardian who serve as an active member of law enforcement, fire protection service, healthcare or EMT in the San Diego region.

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 award recipients included Ella Alexander from Encinitas, Leilani Kwak from Ramona, and Daniel Rodriguez from Chula Vista.

Alexander graduated from San Dieguito Academy and plans to attend Colorado State University. Her family member served in the military and is a Scripps cardiac sonographer. Kwak graduated from Mountain Valley Academy and plans to attend Biola University. Her family member is a Cal Fire captain. Rodriguez graduated from High Tech High School and plans to attend Pepperdine University. His family member serves on a police department's special investigations unit.

"Our Badge of Honor scholarships honor the first responders who are true heroes, working to protect all of us across San Diego. We want to thank our first responders and recognize the sacrifices they and their families are making as they do so much to help our communities and keep us safe," Wheelhouse CEO and president Lisa Paul-Hill said in a statement. "We congratulate these impressive and deserving scholarship recipients for their hard work in high school and wish them great success in their exciting college career ahead."

The Badge of Honor scholarships are in addition to Wheelhouse's Sustainability scholarships, which was created in 2005 to support San Diego area high school seniors with a vision and desire to support the environment through eco-friendly initiatives. Since the creation of these scholarship programs, Wheelhouse has awarded $116,000 in scholarships to local students.