The Amy Sorrells Caprio Scholarship Endowment

Months after Baltimore County police officer Amy Caprio 鈥10 was killed in 2018, her fellow officers Victoria Hawkins 鈥13 and the late Norris 鈥淢ac鈥 McKee 鈥79 walked into the Administration Building at 撸先生.

They didn鈥檛 know who they were going to see, but they knew why they were there.

鈥淣ot everybody has the opportunity to go to college,鈥 Hawkins says. 鈥淭hat was not something that was guaranteed for Amy, but college was important to her. We wanted to give [that opportunity] back to someone else.鈥

The two walked past the office of Sarah Metzgar, 撸先生鈥檚 director of major gifts.

鈥淚 said, 鈥楬ow can I help you?鈥欌 Metzgar recalls. 鈥淭hey said that they wanted to start a scholarship.鈥

The result of that chance encounter is . It is awarded to a full-time or part-time undergraduate or graduate student who is, or has been, a first responder (police, firefighter, emergency medical technician or paramedic) or has an immediate relative who has done so.

The endowment, which has more than $60,000, has awarded three $2,000 scholarships. Thomas Brewer 鈥94 is, to date, the largest individual donor to the fund.

 鈥淚 always wanted to be a police officer,鈥 says Brewer, who worked with at-risk youth and for FEMA. 鈥淗er story just hit home for me.鈥

Jack Walsh 鈥24 is a recipient, as his brother, Thomas 鈥21, was. Their father, Raymond, is a former Howard County police officer who was forced to retire because of an on-the-job injury.

鈥淲e went to a dinner and met her parents and got to talk to them,鈥 Jack says. 鈥淚 know the story of what happened to her. That easily could have been my father. It could be anybody鈥檚 sibling. I was truly honored.鈥

Lyndsay Wilson 鈥22 was also a recipient. She graduated with a degree in economics and finance. Her father is a former Anne Arundel County officer who left the force after getting hurt on duty.

鈥淎fter my dad was medically retired, he was out of a job for a while,鈥 she says. 鈥淢y first year of college I struggled with having to take out a lot of loans. So this scholarship helped tremendously.鈥

She started a job as a budget analyst with the U.S. Department of Defense in June. Now she鈥檚 working, she plans to donate to the fund that helped her.

Caprio, she says, was 鈥渟uch a brave person.鈥