David C. Walcher, Arapahoe County Sheriff, is pleased to announce that Heritage High School senior Nikolai Puc’ is this year’s recipient of the County Sheriffs of Colorado (CSOC) scholarship for Arapahoe County.

Nikolai’s background impressed both the selection committee and Sheriff Walcher. A member of the National Honor Society and the Spanish National Honor Society, Nikolai is also active in soccer and football, participates in leadership and mentoring, and is an editor for the yearbook. Most impressive is Nikolai’s extensive travels to multiple countries with non-profit organizations, using money he raises himself, to capture their work and the culture through the lens of his camera. He has an amazing eye. Starting this fall, Nikolai will be studying Humanitarian Photography through an individualized learning program at Metropolitan State University.

A citizens’ committee selected the winner for each county. Committees made their selections based on criteria established by CSOC, which include leadership, merit, character, involvement, purpose and need. Applicants were required to be full-time, legal Colorado residents who planned to attend a Colorado university, college or trade school.

This year, CSOC, Colorado’s state sheriffs’ association, offered 31 awards of $500 each to deserving high school and college students in Colorado to fund higher-level educational expenses for the 2016-2017 academic year. This is the 37th year for the CSOC scholarship program. Monies for the program are derived, in part, from the CSOC honorary membership fund, which consists of contributions from individual citizens and businesses each year.