2020 Officer David White Scholarship awarded to Katelyn Schultz
The 2020 Officer David White Scholarship was awarded to Katelyn Schultz, daughter of Naperville firefighter and paramedic Carl Schultz. The recognition took place at the Naperville Park District board of commissioners meeting held virtually on Thursday, June 25.
Park District Police Chief Steve Schindlbeck explained the background of the scholarship and recognized Katelyn, who attended with her family via Zoom conferencing.
The $2,000 scholarship honors the compassionate public service demonstrated by Naperville Park Police Officer David White, whose actions helped save a young man's life in 2006.
The scholarship is funded by an anonymous donor, who has provided $2,000 annually for the scholarship since 2007.
The scholarship is open to an individual age 25 and under who either is a son or daughter of an active duty Naperville police officer, park police officer, or firefighter or someone who is serving in one of these roles themselves.
Naperville Police Explorers and Naperville Fire Explorers also are eligible.
In the donor's words, "The purpose of the scholarship is to inspire our next generation of public servants to care enough to exert the extra effort, to take a second look."
A panel of five judges selected Katelyn Schultz as the 2020 scholarship recipient by evaluating the scholarship applications that were submitted. The scholarship panel included the following community leaders:
• Bob Ross, chief human resources officer, Naperville Community Unit School District 203
• Brad Wilson, director of recreation and facilities, Naperville Park District
• Kamala Martinez, president and CEO, KidsMatter
• Marcie Schatz, deputy city manager, City of Naperville
• Mike Reilly, president, Naperville Park District Board of Commissioners
Chief Schindlbeck noted that Katelyn was selected for her long-term volunteer service with several nonprofits and for her desire to continue being active in public service throughout her life.
He relayed the words she wrote in her application essay: "I hope I will be a community leader and will not be afraid to put in work when it gets hard and not stop until something has changed for the better."