Heather Giard Memorial Scholarship

This scholarship was established by Heather’s family in honor of, and in loving memory, of her. She was born Heather Elise Fritz on July 25, 1986 and was the oldest of three daughters. Her vibrant and outgoing nature made her an active part of her community. While she grew up a Fauquier County resident, she later moved to Northern Virginia where she planted her own family roots with her husband, four children, and grandmother.

Her love for education ran deep, as she excelled during her time at Liberty High School, both in and out of the classroom. She attended Laurel Ridge Community College as a dual enrolled student during her senior year of high school, then after high school, she continued at LRCC to obtain her Associates of Arts & Sciences Degree in Education in 2006. While her plan was to return to school to complete her bachelor’s degree, she put that goal on hold to focus on raising her children. During that time, though, she also provided in-home daycare for other children, and, when her children entered school-age, she became an active volunteer in their schools and classrooms as well.

While Heather’s vivacious energy knew no bounds—a love of all things spooky and strange, sky diving adventures, and, of course, her intense love of family—she wrestled with her mental health. She lost that silent battle on November 26, 2018 when she took her own life. Her family did not fully realize the hold it had on her; she will be forever missed. The family would like to honor her memory and raise awareness to the constant battles raging on with people batting mental illness by establishing this scholarship in her name.

The scholarship may be applied toward tuition, fees and/or books and will be divided equally between the fall and spring semesters. Satisfactory academic progress of a 2.0 GPA must be maintained in order for the recipient to receive the award for the following semester.

The following criteria shall be used to select the annual recipient of the Heather Giard Memorial Scholarship:

• Complete the Scholarship Application
• Maintain a 2.0 or better GPA
• Enrolled as a part-time or full-time student
• Be a graduate of a Fauquier County high school—Liberty, Fauquier, or Kettle Run
  o Preference to a Liberty High School grad
• Answer one of the following short answer questions:
  o What practices can be incorporated in one’s life to promote better states of mental health?
  o Describe your past experiences, current interests, and future plans in training, researching, or practicing in suicide awareness or prevention.
• Preference to someone pursuing Psychology

To donate to this scholarship:

• For online donations, please go to https://laurelridge.edu/donatenow, note in the Other Designation field as Heather Giard Memorial Scholarship.
• For checks, please make them payable to the Laurel Ridge Foundation and note Heather Giard Memorial Scholarship in the memo line.