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Lindsey Wilson University Starts Scholarship for First Responders, Family Members

Scholarship will help first responders plan for a second career.

COLUMBIA, Ky. (10/16/2025) — In an effort to help first responders realize their higher education goals, Lindsey Wilson University has launched the First Responder Scholarship.

The scholarship will be available to first responders, as well as to their immediate family members, who are interested in Lindsey Wilson's undergraduate and graduate programs. The scholarship applies to first responders who serve or have served at least one year as a law enforcement officer, firefighter, emergency medical technician, paramedic and telecommunicator, commonly known as a dispatcher.

Lindsey Wilson created the scholarship to assist first responders who want to continue their educational journeys, especially those interested in starting a second career after they retire from public service.

"We know that many individuals are interested in pursuing education to upskill, pivot or continue their careers after the early retirement their profession affords," said Hannah Coyt, Lindsey Wilson counseling assistant professor and assistant director of the university's nationally ranked professional counseling graduate program. "This scholarship will allow many of them to explore those education options."

Coyt, who helped start the new scholarship, has worked with first responders as a mental health professional. She said that first responders often pursue second careers with a focus on giving back to their communities.

"Lindsey Wilson's human services and counseling major and nursing program are perfect for first responders who want to have a second career serving their community," said Coyt, whose husband, Brian, has served in law enforcement for two decades.

Lindsey Wilson assistant counseling professor Keeley Stewart, who also worked on creating the scholarship, said it would be especially beneficial if first responders started a second career as a mental health care professional who works with other first responders. She said there is not only a paucity of mental health care professionals to work with first responders, but many first responders are reluctant to seek the help of mental health care professionals.

"There's a major shortage of mental health counseling in the area of first responders," said Stewart, whose husband, Matthew, has been a firefighter for nearly three decades and has two sons who are first responders. "I found through my research that the major barrier to mental health services in a fire department was simply trust. They don't trust mental health providers, and they don't trust that they're not going to be discriminated against within their department if they seek mental health services. So we are hopeful that some of the first responders who enroll at Lindsey Wilson will be able to one day serve the mental health needs of other first responders."

Coyt noted that the leading cause of death for first responders is often suicide, which underscores the need to offer more mental health services to those who work in the profession.

"I would love to be able to say that we were part of reducing that high rate of suicide for first responders because of the impact of this scholarship," she said.

For more information about the First Responder Scholarship, contact Lindsey Wilson Director of Financial Aid Audrey Price at pricea@lindsey.edu or 270-384-8021.

Lindsey Wilson University is a vibrant liberal arts university in Columbia, Kentucky. Founded in 1903 and affiliated with The United Methodist Church, the mission of Lindsey Wilson is to serve the educational needs of students by providing a living-learning environment within an atmosphere of active caring and Christian concern where every student, every day, learns and grows and feels like a real human being. Lindsey Wilson offers 28 undergraduate majors, five graduate programs and a doctoral program. The university's 29 intercollegiate varsity athletic teams have won more than 120 team and individual national championships.

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Lindsey Wilson University has launched the First Responder Scholarship. The scholarship will be available to first responders, as well as to their immediate family members, who are interested in Lindsey Wilson’s undergraduate and graduate programs. The scholarship applies to first responders who serve or have served at least one year as a law enforcement officer, firefighter, emergency medical technician, paramedic and telecommunicator, commonly known as a dispatcher.

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