Photo by Erin Nelson.
Grace Reynolds stands on the bridge at Homewood Central Park on June 2. Reynolds, an incoming University of Alabama student, received the 2023 John Bresnan Memorial Scholarship.
Grace Reynolds has been named the recipient of the annual scholarship given in memory of former Homewood Fire Chief John Bresnan, who passed away in January 2020.
Reynolds is an 18-year-old graduate of Homewood High School and will be attending the University of Alabama in the fall. Her father, Ben, is a firefighter.
In order to be awarded the $1,500 scholarship, Reynolds had to, among other tasks, write an essay about how her father has impacted her life.
“It was pretty surprising,” Reynolds said of the news that she won. “Receiving that award … [it] made me very happy to receive that.”
Reynolds said with her mother not present in her life when she was younger, her father went through the Alabama Fire College and obtained a job with the Prattville Fire Department. He worked hard to provide a steady income while raising her, she said.
He eventually went from Prattville to Hoover, where he rose through the ranks to become a fire captain, a role he holds now. In that time, he met Grace’s stepmother and made great friends with the rest of the department.
“It’s kind of like a little community,” Reynolds said.
The scholarship will allow her to pursue her future while honoring a beloved fire chief.
“To me, it just kind of means I can take that scholarship and know he did so much work for the city,” Reynolds said. “I love Homewood and love our community. It’s a community award. After all I’ve done through Homewood, that leadership has paid off.”
Reynolds has been involved with the band since sixth grade and finished her career as the woodwinds leader. She will move on to the Million Dollar Band at University of Alabama as a manager.
Five years ago, she began serving at her family’s church, Homewood Community Church. She is in charge of the nursery and is also a youth leader.
“Our family just has a very strong connection with God and faith in Christ,” she said.
Reynolds said she seeks to spread God’s love and show the faith she has in him to other people.
In addition to being a future manager of the Million Dollar Band, Reynolds plans to become a business major with a minor in biology and wants to become a pharmaceutical sales representative. She’s seen family members pursue that field and they have all loved it, she said.
