Susan M. Hunter Scholarship 

The Susan M. Hunter Correctional Scholarship is named in honor of Susan M. Hunter, former Director of the Prisons Division at the National Institute of Corrections, as a lasting tribute to her commitment to the field of corrections. Susan passed away in 2004 from breast cancer. CLA’s Past Presidents’ Committee had been working toward a scholarship program for children of correctional staff. In the wake of her death, CLA grieved the loss of Susan, and the Committee made a logical decision to name the scholarship program after Susan, who had embodied the ideals of an educated and enlightened correctional workforce. Her life’s work continues in our memory of what she held dear, now expressed in our profession with contributions to deserving students whose parents labor in our Association's chosen field. 

Eligibility Requirements for the Susan M. Hunter Correctional Scholarship  
  • Students must be the child of a corrections employee (current full-time, retired, or deceased) within any CLA member Department of Corrections or jail/prison system. 

  • Vendor employees, correctional employees, their siblings, spouses, and grandchildren are not eligible. 

  • Incoming first-time freshmen, along with enrolled full-time college and graduate students, must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.3. Students may be working toward a degree in any area of study. 

  •  Students must plan to be enrolled full-time in an accredited two-year or four-year college or university, or an accredited graduate program for the Fall semester of the award year (verification will be required before the award is issued). 

  • Please note that all applicants must submit a new application each year, even if they received a scholarship award in a previous year. 

    You can view a list of scholarship FAQs here. It is highly recommended to review these before applying. The scholarship opens annually on February 1 and closes on March 31. 

Any questions can be directed to Tanna Perez at [email protected].

 

 Donations are 100% Tax Deductible

 

Congratulations, 2026 New Recipients!!

  

 

2026 Return Recipients 

Amanda Jo Thorpe - Colorado DOC

Cassandra Lewis - Maine DOC

Owen Bales - Virginia DOC

Michael Montoya - Colorado DOC

Deanna Jean Ransom - Pennsylvania DOC

Olivia Bradley - Massachusetts DOC

Samaya Gomez - California CDCR

Rachel Elizabeth Kinnaman - Indiana DOC

Natalie Kitts - Kentucky DOC

Gavin Chase Gilley - Tennessee DOC

Chloe Marie Gloria - Idaho DOC

Morgan Aliyah Watts - South Carolina DOC

Logan James Stagl - Pennsylvania DOC

Kaitlyn Peterson - Wisconsin DOC

Mikah Dokken Herzberg - Kansas DOC

Cole Sander - Minnesota DOC

Nathan Alan Ransom - Pennsylvania DOC

McKinzie Kaye Schafer - Wyoming DOC

Jaysoni Beachum - Florida DOC

Haley Sykes - Virginia DOC

Lily May Hoban - Delaware DOC

Julia Cossette Hills - Wisconsin DOC

Kaley Sykes - Virginia DOC

Lani Gondzur - Illinois DOC

Morgan Fisher - Alabama DOC

Alexa Gray - Colorado DOC

Kaylah Allyn Frazier - District of Columbia DOC

Taylor Grace Messer - Kentucky DOC

Noah Ray Smith - Arkansas DOC

Kaya Olsen - Utah DOC

Ayden Cuzzort - Arkansas DOC

Jayden Clark - South Dakota DOC

Kassidee Rose Shaw - Arizona DOC

Macy Nicole Ward - Arkansas DOC

Claire Marie Carriere - Wisconsin DOC

Kamryn Rae Boston - Oregon DOC

Carlese Johnson - Arkansas DOC

Kendall Marshall - Washington DOC

Jessica Greene - Arizona DOC

Nolan Beighley - Florida DOC

Hunter Crigger - Virginia DOC

Jennifer Green - Texas TDCJ

Jake Daniel Marra - New York DOCCS

Tray Douglas Goddard - Oklahoma DOC

Jaylynn Grace Anderson - Pennsylvania DOC

Tandy Treese - Washington DOC

Jayden McElravy - Washington DOC

James Mason Storey - Michigan DOC

Lacy Rae Roberts - Missouri DOC

Elizabeth Martin - Kentucky DOC

Jaden Ashleymary Doher - Massachusetts DOC

Briana Marie Lopez - California CDCR

Hannah Magdziak - Pennsylvania DOC

Isabella Nagy - Pennsylvania DOC

Yasmine Samara - Ohio DRC

Joshua Yon - North Dakota DOC

Emily Hart - Pennsylvania DOC

Leni Ava Dimas - Wyoming DOC

Emily Tanner - Rhode Island DOC

Diesel Whitten - Massachusetts DOC

Tamara Tate - Arkansas DOC

Faheed Shafau - Michigan DOC

Dallin Yates - Utah DOC

Ky-Mani McLeish - South Carolina DOC

Jack Johnson - Illinois DOC

Cora Remacle - Wyoming DOC

Vakayla Melay Davies - Arkansas DOC

Ethan Hopper - Ohio DRC

Conner Pilley - New York DOCCS

Caroline Seaman - Florida DOC

Anyaniel Meléndez Rodríguez - Pennsylvania DOC

Claire Koechle - Illinois DOC

Rose Smith - Kentucky DOC

Morgan Robinette - Pennsylvania DOC

Amaya Contreras - California CDCR

Iris Denner - North Carolina DAC

Tyler Lehman - Pennsylvania DOC

Alice Smith - Kentucky DOC

Joshua Placides - Maine DOC

Sana Ahmad - Virginia DOC

Alex Oswald - Iowa DOC

Nevaeh Kimmie - Louisiana DOC

Samuel Syring - New Hampshire DOC

Abigail Sproul - Oklahoma DOC

Brinkley Hodshon - North Carolina DAC

Rylie Lowden - New Jersey DOC

Abbie Wigger - Missouri DOC

Rose Stilwell - North Carolina DAC

Rachel Brzezicki - Massachusetts DOC

Aashna Patel - California CDCR

Madison Michaela Lujan - California CDCR

Peter Earnest - New Jersey DOC

Addison Stephani - Minnesota DOC