Kenneth Schmidt Memorial Scholarship

The Kenneth Schmidt Memorial Scholarship is open to students from Kane or Kendall County who have a minimum 3.0 GPA and are Fire Science or EMT/Paramedic majors. Preference will be given to applicants pursuing an AAS in Fire Science. This scholarship was started in 2020 by the family members of Kenneth Schmidt to provide assistance to students in the Fire Science and EMT/Paramedic programs at Waubonsee Community College. This scholarship is named for Ken Schmidt, a local electrician from Aurora who owned and operated Ken Schmidt Electric. In addition to his business, Ken’s other passion was his dedication to the Marywood Fire Protection District. In 1967, at the age of 18, Ken joined the fire department and began a journey of more than 25 years of service to the fire district. In 1980, he was promoted to Chief, a position he held until the Marywood Fire Protection District was dissolved in 1994. Ken’s family hopes this scholarship will increase students’ interest in fire service careers and develop their abilities to help others as members of fire departments. The scholarship may cover all or part of tuition and required course fees and may also provide support for required books for credit courses.