On Tuesday night the Eden Prairie Crime Prevention Fund awarded $1,000 scholarships to three Edina/ Eden Prairie Police Explorers: Anika Lange, Edward Stuart and Alyssa Wood.

In its fifth year, the scholarship program is intended for students who have an academic emphasis or interest in coursework in the area of criminal justice, law enforcement and/or community crime prevention. The Crime Prevention Fund created the scholarship program in 2018 in honor of its 40^th anniversary.

Anika is a senior at Eden Prairie High School and is a member of the varsity softball and volleyball teams. She helps run the new mentoring program and is an executive producer in the school news department. Anika serves as a lieutenant in the Explorers Unit. She plans to attend Winona State University in the fall to pursue a degree in criminal justice with a minor in psychology or sociology, and hopes to return to Eden Prairie one day to work as a police officer.

Edward is a senior at St. Thomas Academy where he participates in football, Honor/Color Guard, Ranger Team, Lincoln Society, aviation and fishing clubs. Throughout his high school career, he earned a total of 200 merits within the Military Department for serving at various drill, Color Guard and Honor Guard events. Edward has spent four years with the Eden Prairie/Edina Police Explorers and currently serves as a captain. He will attend Texas Christian University in the fall to study law enforcement.

Alyssa is a senior at Burnsville High School where she is a member of the National Honor Society. She has a black belt in kung fu, has participated on the competitive rock-climbing team and enjoys volleyball. She volunteers at the Minnesota Zoo and Feed My Starving Children, and as a member of her school’s Link Crew. Alyssa is a lieutenant in the Explorers Unit and plans to study at Minnesota State University Mankato to pursue a degree in law enforcement.

Congratulations Anika, Edward and Alyssa!

Pictured (l-r): Officers Tony Behl and Chad Streiff, Explorers Anika Lange, Alyssa Wood and Edward Stuart, Crime Prevention Fund Board President Lisa Toomey, Police Chief Matt Sackett