ESA National Scholarship
Scholarship Sponsored by Electronic Security Association
Introduction
The ESA Youth Scholarship Program has awarded more than $1 million to support the educational goals of children of first responders across the United States. Graduating high school seniors who demonstrate strong academic commitment and who are inspired by their parent(s)’ service to the community are encouraged to apply this coming winter.
Eligibility and Where to Apply
- Applicants must be high school seniors whose parent(s) serve as first responders.
- If the parent serves in a state with a participating ESA association, the student must submit the application through that state’s process. If the parent’s state is not listed with a participating association, apply directly to ESA.
Awards
- More than 20 scholarships will be distributed.
- All first-round winners from each participating state plus the ESA award recipient will be automatically entered for the National ESA Scholarship prizes: $15,000 for first place and $2,500 for second place.
Application Materials (required)
- Official high school transcript, converted to a 4.0 scale for review.
- College acceptance letter.
- Current resume.
- One letter of recommendation from a high school counselor, teacher, or an approved outside agency.
- Proof of parent’s occupation (a copy of ID or a supervisory letter on station letterhead is acceptable).
- Completed community service form.
- Essay (required): Respond to the prompt “What it means to me to have my parent/guardian involved in securing our community.” Length: 500–1,000 words.
- Optional: Official SAT or ACT scores. If no test scores are provided, the student’s GPA will carry more weight in the judging process.
Notes
Carefully assemble all requested documents before submitting. Incomplete applications may not be considered.