HIGHLANDS COUNTY, Fla. — The Highlands County Sheriff's Office is offering a scholarship to children of law enforcement in memory of Highlands County Deputy William Gentry. 

  • Deputy Gentry Memorial Scholarship to award student $2,247
  • Applications for scholarship being sought now
  • Application deadline is May 10

Gentry, whose badge number was 2247, was killed in the line of duty in May of 2018.

The scholarship will award one student $2,247 toward their college education. 

“This scholarship is the result of the tremendous outpouring of support from the community following the loss of Deputy Gentry,” Sheriff Paul Blackman said. “The Gentry family and the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office want to make sure that Deputy Gentry’s legacy lives on, and what better way to do that than to help the child of a law enforcement officer go to college?”

To be eligible for the scholarship, students must:

  • Be a high school senior and on track to graduate in spring/summer of 2019 with plans to enter a college in the United States no later than the fall following graduation.
  • Be a son or daughter of a certified law enforcement officer who lives in Highlands County or is assigned to work in the county with one of the following agencies: Highlands County Sheriff’s Office, Sebring Police Department, Lake Placid Police Department, Florida Highway Patrol, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and State Attorney’s Office.
  • Have a GPA of 2.0 or above.
  • Provide two letters of recommendation.
  • Write an essay on future goals.
  • Provide a student resume (school-related clubs, offices held, sports, etc.)

The application deadline is May 10. Applications will be available at local high schools and must be turned in to the school resource officer by then. The winner will be announced on May 17.