Two Indiana University of Pennsylvania students have been selected as the first recipients of a scholarship for students who are volunteer firefighters.
Recipients are Marcus Sheehan, Park Street, Ebensburg, a member of the Indiana Fire Association, and Kelsey Trunzo, Second Street, Ernest, a member of the Creekside Volunteer Fire Department.
The scholarship was established through a grant received by the Cherry Tree, Creekside, Indiana, Marion Center and Plumville Fire Departments. It is available to any IUP student who is an active member of any of those five fire departments.
Sheehan, who “lives in” at the Indiana Fire Association, is a safety, health and environmental applied sciences major. He is the son of Kathleen Sheehan and Richard Sheehan and is a 2007 graduate of Central Cambria High School.
Sheehan joined the fire department at the age of 14, “following in the footsteps of my grandfather, father, and two brothers,” he said.
“I volunteer at the fire department to help members of the community. By volunteering with the fire department I feel as if I'm giving back to a community that has given me so much and I'm just doing my part as a member of the community. The scholarship will help me with the cost of my books for next semester,” he said.
Trunzo, daughter of Stacy Trunzo and Bill Trunzo, is a 2013 graduate of Marion Center High School. She is in the IUP College of Health and Human Services. She has been a member of the Creekside Volunteer Fire Department for the past five years.
Trunzo said that she wasn't sure what career path to take before joining the volunteer fire department, but after joining, she realized what her career should be – she wants to become a flight nurse.
“In the five years I have been at the fire department I have accomplished things I would have never imagined. It has opened so many new doors for me. I've been accomplishing the things I wanted to do since I was a junior firefighter. But, being a first responder isn't about being able to brag to everyone that you are one. It's about helping and being that bright light one someone's darkest day.
“I am honored to be a recipient of the Safer Grant scholarship. I have a lot of school ahead of me, and it will help me to continue on with my college career. I would like to thank IUP and the scholarship donors for presenting us with this opportunity. More importantly, I would like to thank all of the first responders (fire and EMS) I have met over the past five years that have taught me what I know today and who are continually helping me become a better first responder.”
PHOTO INFORMATION: Marcus Sheehan, Kelsey Trunzo, first recipients of a scholarship for students who are volunteer firefighters from Cherry Tree, Creekside, Indiana, Marion Center and Plumville Fire Departments.