For the tenth year, the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) and CSU have teamed up to award two NVFC members with a CSU scholarship to help them achieve their educational goals.
The 2018 scholarship recipients are Thomas Peterson and Theresa Pospichal. Each recipient will receive a scholarship to cover up to 60 hours toward one CSU online degree program that will be applied directly to the recipient’s tuition for up to three years or until the online degree program is completed.
Peterson has worked for Avalon Fire Rescue District in Milton, Florida, for the past 11 years and will use the scholarship to obtain a bachelor’s degree in fire administration. He wants to be a leader and instructor in the department and hopes to use his education to inspire and teach others.
“I have discovered not only a passion for firefighting but a passion for teaching. I have realized the opportunity to learn from others, and sharing that [knowledge] brings as much fulfillment as actual firefighting does,” said Peterson. “I believe that I can make a difference in the levels of passion that younger firefighters have for the job as well as rekindle the passions that some of the older, experienced firefighters have lost along the way.”
Pospichal will also pursue a bachelor’s degree in fire administration. She joined the Wilsall (Montana) Fire Department in 2016 as a volunteer firefighter/EMT and wants to move into the administrative level to help her department meet administrative and operational standards.
“With the education provided by this degree program, I would also like to improve recruitment and retention by formalizing orientation and training programs for our diverse volunteer base that often has no prior fire experience,” explained Pospichal. “Neighboring departments and even the search and rescue [teams] are struggling with similar issues, and I would be eager to share the applicable knowledge and skills obtained through the degree program.”
To learn more about this scholarship and tuition discounts for NVFC members, visit ColumbiaSouthern.edu/NVFC. Learn more and join the NVFC at NVFC.org/BeYourBest.
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