June 20, 2011 (Santa Rosa, CA) The Board of Directors of Out To Protect Incorporated is pleased to announce the award of a scholarship to Kurt Eriksen. Kurt is currently attending the Police Academy at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton. He will graduate on September 17, 2011. Kurt is a helpful, loyal, and caring individual who has a good work ethic and enjoys teamwork. His teachers and supervisors at the academy praised Kurt for his professionalism and overall performance in the police academy.

Kurt told us, "I have always been interested in law enforcement, but it was not until my first year of college when I really started looking into law enforcement as a career choice. I decided to get my EMT certification because I was old enough to be a police officer and knew it would allow me to be in contact with law enforcement professionals. My goal was to decide whether or not I truly wanted to be in a public safety career and to meet people who would give me more insight into law enforcement. After working as an EMT for a short time, I realized I definitely wanted a career in Law Enforcement. The draw of meeting new people everyday and being in different situations drew me further into wanting a career in law enforcement. I am not looking for a career where I sit behind a desk for 8 hours a day. I need a 'fast paced' career that will challenge me and help me grow as a person. Having so many special assignments within a department will give me room to move and grow. If employed by a large agency I would love to be assigned to an air patrol unit, since getting my pilots license has always been a dream of mine.

My current academy experience has taught me a lot about myself and I believe it has helped me grow as a person. I appreciate the ways it has challenged me and helped me to develop and hone the skills I once lacked. I value the people I have met throughout the last seven months; I believe they have made me a lot more open and feel a lot better about who I am. I truly hope I have been able to touch their lives in a similar way. I hope through my encouragement and support I have helped others throughout this experience. In the next few months I will continue to do my best to be a positive role model and help others around me as much as I possibly can. I feel extremely honored to be selected for this scholarship, and really appreciate all the help and support it provides. I will continue to do my absolute best and strive for perfection in the months ahead."

Kurt will receive his $500 scholarship award upon graduation from the police academy in September. All of us at Out To Protect are behind him and know he will be an excellent representative of the LGBT community in law enforcement.

Out To Protect is a “first of its kind” national non-profit organization created in 2009 by Greg Miraglia to support LGBT students pursuing a law enforcement career. The mission of Out To Protect is to create a greater awareness of the gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, and transgender members of law enforcement and to support those wishing to pursue a law enforcement career. Learn more at www.outtoprotect.org