Daniel Queen of the Atlanta Fire and Rescue is someone who enjoys learning about firefighting.
“I love the idea of learning as much as possible about this field. I had a lieutenant once say to me, ‘You can never be too good at a job that can kill you.’ The more I know about fire, the better I can keep myself and my crew safe,” he explained.
He will now be able to expand his knowledge as Queen has been selected as the recipient of the 2017 Atlanta Fire and Rescue scholarship, which is provided via the partnership of Columbia Southern University with Atlanta Fire and Rescue. Columbia Southern University, a leading educator of first-responders, is an online university offering associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees and certificates.
The scholarship will be applied directly to Queen’s tuition for up to three years or until the completion of the selected online degree program, whichever comes first. This scholarship covers tuition and applicable fees and is only available to employees of Atlanta Fire and Rescue.
Queen is excited about this award as it allows him “to be a better person and provider for my family, and not just financially. Having an education would make me a better role model for those around me. It would show dedication to the job. It would show that I am willing to do what it takes to make myself and those around me better.”
Queen, who has always dreamed of going into firefighting, decided to enter the fire service after meeting a friend who turned out to be a firefighter.
“The biggest point he made to me was that it is a very competitive field. He specified that, while I can simply apply to a department, I should really consider getting a degree in fire science,” he said.
With his scholarship, Queen will be doing just that as he will enroll at Columbia Southern University to earn a bachelor’s degree in fire administration.
To learn more about scholarship opportunities with Columbia Southern University, visit ColumbiaSouthern.edu/Scholarships.
