Applause shook the auditorium as Quinn Heller made her way to the stage to accept the check from the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) Scholarship Fund at the annual ceremony for scholarship winners.
The incoming freshman at San Diego State University was the 2024 recipient of the LAFD Scholarship Fund’s Community Service Award, co-sponsored and supported by the LAFD Foundation for over a decade.
Quinn had been reading about the LAFD Scholarship Fund winners in firefighter publications for years and always knew she wanted to pursue the opportunity to bolster her higher education dreams.
“I just knew I had to apply,” she shared.
About 60% of the application focuses on academic success, while the other 40% combines an essay, community service accomplishments, extracurricular activities, and other endeavors outside of school. After the application comes two interviews, where Quinn had to discuss her success and accomplishments in front of the LAFD Scholarship Fund’s nine board members.
“That was the first big interview I’d ever had, but I think it went really well. I felt very grown up after that,” she chuckled.
Quinn had plenty to show for, both on the academic front and in the ways that she has actively given back to her community. Quinn joined the Girl Scouts in 2011 and participated until she graduated high school, earning her bronze, silver, and gold awards. For her Gold Award project, she created an anaphylaxis curriculum for elementary school teachers and the Simi Valley Library, complete with informational pamphlets and flyers. She taught educators and students alike about severe food allergies and how to identify the signs and symptoms of anaphylaxis.
Active in her local church, Quinn led Vacation Bible School (VBS) activities for a week each summer. She developed the concept for and built a lending library from wood and acrylic at her old elementary school, which still stands out front today. A drive that she hosted after the build ensured that books would be replenished throughout the year.
“I’m really grateful that they were able to give me the scholarship,” Quinn emphasized, reflecting on the LAFD Scholarship Fund board and their generosity. “I think it gave me more confidence in myself, just going through the whole process, because I knew I could do it.”
Though their salaries often unqualify their children for financial aid, firefighters’ take-home income is not always enough to cover college costs. This is especially true for firefighter households with multiple children, and even more so for those with children pursuing higher education simultaneously.
With initial support from the Jean Perkins Foundation, the LAFD Scholarship Fund began 18 years ago to address this need for children who come from firefighter families.
Since its start, the LAFD Scholarship Fund has gifted more than $2 million in scholarships to children of firefighters as they pursue a higher education. Thanks to the efforts of the Board and the pursuit of outside funding sources, the LAFD Scholarship has raised an additional $1 million on its own, including the annual contribution it has received from the LAFD Foundation for the past 11 years.
