Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Benevolent Posse Presents $5,000 in Scholarships to High School Graduates
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The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Benevolent Posse (SBCSBP) has awarded two college scholarships, each valued at $2,500, to Santa Barbara County recent high school graduates supporting their higher education goals of postsecondary education. Scholarships are awarded yearly to members of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Explorers Program.
Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office Explorer members are young adults who have completed eighth grade through the age of 20, who are interested in hands-on, pre-professional training and real-life experience in law enforcement services and other related professions.
The program promotes personal growth through character development, community service, physical fitness, leadership, communication, and public speaking skills, command presence, and career planning.
The Sheriff’s Office Explorer Program scholarship recipients of the 2024-2025 academic year through the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara are:
Priscilla Valadez graduated from Dos Pueblos High School and is attending CSU Fullerton with a chosen field of art. Her goal is to continue learning about art history while pursuing her interests of animation and museum curation.
Benjamin McLellan Amboy is a recent graduate of Alta Vista High School and is attending UC Santa Barbara this fall. His passion is in education and loves learning. He seeks to become a teacher of history.
These scholarships gift students the experience of life changing opportunities that come with higher education. SBCSBP partners with the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara in order to support the dreams and higher education of students for years to come. The Posse has received generous support from long time donor and board member, Richard Berti, whose endowment was created to fund scholarships in perpetuity. These students would not receive this generous gift without his continuous and faithful support to see these scholarships be gifted for students to have the ability to pursue higher education and invest in their future.
In the recent past the SBCSBP has helped the Sheriff’s Office obtain much needed emergency equipment including COVID-19 personal protection equipment, protective vests, night vision goggles, specialized weapons, computer equipment, drug sniffing and patrol/tracking/bomb/explosive detection dogs, a headquarters barn for its Mounted Enforcement Unit and specialized equipment for the dive team It has also supported the highly effective DARE program in north county elementary schools teaching students to develop good decision-making skills and understanding of the harmful effects of substance abuse, bullying and violence.
The SBCSBP is a 501(c)(3) organization focusing on enhancing relationships between the community and County law enforcement while raising funds to fill the gap between a constrained county budget and the County’s increasing public needs. If interested in supporting the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Benevolent Posse or to learn more about the SBCSBP, the Sheriff’s Office Explorer Program scholarship and additional ways to support County law enforcement, visit the SBCSBP website at SBSheriffsPosse.org.