AUGUSTA — Sheriff Joel Merry, president of the board of directors for the Maine Sheriffs Association, recently announced the association awarded two $1,000 scholarships for the 2015-16 academic year to Maine undergraduate students.

The MSA scholars were selected on the basis of academic merit, financial need and essay submissions. Applicants must have an immediate family member employed within one of Maine’s 16 county sheriffs’ offices, according to a news release from the association.

The two winners are Casey Carroll and Emma Fournier.

Carroll is the daughter of Knox County Chief Deputy Tim Carroll. With an anticipated career goal of pediatric physician’s assistant, Carroll’s essay, “Respect for the Thin Blue Line” tells of the many hats her father wears in law enforcement. “I would always listen in admiration about my dad’s super-hero like talents of catching the bad guys,” according to the release. Carroll plans to continue her studies at Franklin Pierce in the fall.

Fournier is the daughter of Androscoggin Corrections Officer Martin Fournier. Fournier is pursuing an undergraduate degree in pre-med and medical biology and submitted her essay on the topic of domestic violence. She describes pop-culture glorification of domestic violence through the novels of “Fifty Shades of Grey” and “The Twilight Saga.” She writes, “Instead of emphasizing a healthy relationship to the millions of viewers, teenage girls in particular, these movies portray a false ideal for an adult relationship.” Fournier plans to attend the University of New England in the fall.