Ramon Espinosa

March, 2010

As the end of the school year approaches and our students’ college acceptance letters find their way to our mailboxes, it’s important to start thinking about funding for higher education. Each year, the League offers a handful of scholarships to help officers’ dependents pay for their first semester at a four-year university or community college.

We were recently lucky enough to receive a small package from one of last year’s recipients, Jordan Willis (daughter of Detective James M. Willis). Included in the package was not only her first semester’s transcript from UC Berkeley — straight As — but also several recommendation letters that she commissioned from her professors to help her with new scholarship funding. Suffice it to say, her professors spoke very highly of her. I’ve included a portion of the letter she sent us below:

I have finished my first semester of college successfully and would like to extend my great thanks to you again for sharing your scholarship with me. It has truly made all of the difference in my education. Knowing that people believe in your endeavors and your successful completion of a great education makes you feel fabulous at the end of the day. Through your scholarship, I have been able to focus on school and community service without also having to focus on a job at this point and time.

The scholarship program offers dependents of LAPD officers sums ranging from $750 to $4,000. This can be used for anything related to the students’ first-semester expenses, including tuition, books, housing and living expenses. Students are chosen after a review of their high school transcripts, their extracurricular activities and a questionnaire. If a student qualifies, he or she will be invited to the essay portion of the process. There, they’ll be asked to answer a question regarding a relevant current issue — in 2008, for example, students wrote essays on the presidential election.

With the March 12, 2010, application deadline approaching quickly, I suggest that you consider our scholarship program for you and your student. College expenses can rack up quickly, forcing parents and students to take out expensive loans. Many students find themselves working side jobs to help pay their tuition. With extra funding, parents and students can avoid large debts, and students can have more time to focus on school work, internships and volunteer opportunities.

Applications for the Scholarship Awards Program can be picked up and submitted at our office. Request forms for applications are available on page 9 or http://lapd.com/events/27_LAPPL_scholarship.pdf. Please contact me with any questions or concerns at the League office at (213) 251-4554, or email me at ramonespinosa@lappl.org.

God bless you and your family.