George DeSalvia Memorial Endowed Scholarship

On February 3, 2000, at the age of 29, Officer George DeSalvia was shot and killed while backing up another officer during a traffic stop. The second officer had arrested one of the occupants of the vehicle on an outstanding warrant. As Officer DeSalvia and the second officer attempted to remove the driver from the vehicle, the driver pulled out a handgun and shot Officer DeSalvia in the head, critically injuring the second officer. Officer DeSalvia didn’t survive his injuries. The shooter was captured after a manhunt involving several hundred officers and was ultimately found guilty of first-degree murder of a police officer and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Officer DeSalvia, a married father of three, had been working with the Orlando Police Department for seven months at the time of his death. This scholarship was established in 2004 by Officer DeSalvia’s brother, Derek DeSalvia.

The purpose of this fund is to provide scholarship awards to students at the University of Central Florida in the College of Community Innovation and Education, majoring in Criminal Justice.

This scholarship supports undergraduate students in the College of Community Innovation and Education majoring in Criminal Justice.

Recipients will be selected based on the following established criteria:

• Must be a full-time undergraduate student majoring in Criminal Justice
• Must have a minimum overall 3.0 GPA
• Must demonstrate financial need as determined by the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)
• Must demonstrate involvement in clubs, organizations, volunteer leadership positions, and community service by submitting an essay and resume