The Security Industry Association (SIA) is now accepting applications for the SIA RISE Scholarship, an initiative led by the SIA RISE community for young professionals. 

Through the 2023 RISE Scholarship program, supported by the Foundation for Advancing Security Talent (FAST), selected candidates will receive $3,000 awards that can be used toward continuing education, student loan repayment and professional development programs such as training and certifications. 

“Applying to the SIA RISE Scholarship is a great opportunity to advance your knowledge and career in the security industry,” said SIA CEO Don Erickson. “SIA is proud to support the goals of the young professionals and students entering our industry and looks forward to presenting the next class of honorees with this special scholarship offering.” 

The RISE scholarship program was created to help awardees expand their professional knowledge in the areas of business, human resources, information technology, marketing/sales, project management, security engineering and risk management. 

Scholarship funds can be used toward: 

• SIA program offerings, such as SIA’s conferences, Security Project Management training and the Certified Security Project Manager and Security Industry Cybersecurity Certification credentials
• Repayment of student loans
• Other industry education or events
• Relevant courses or programs offered by associations, colleges, universities and private education firms 

“When I think about the honor I’ve had to watch this initiative with a bird’s-eye view over the past few years, two things come to my mind: the impact the actual scholarship has made on past winners’ careers and the rampant growth of the program itself,” said Jake Brown, chair of the SIA RISE Scholarship Subcommittee. “Receiving this award can take a weight off a young professional’s back and allow them to move more efficiently in their career.” 

Brown further explained efforts in support of the scholarship program. In 2020, RISE introduced the student loan repayment option, and in 2021 the group began fundraising with the end goal of giving out additional scholarships. 

“We went from being able to give out five scholarships each year to eight last year thanks to the help of Securitas, ADT and Intel,” he said. “We are hopeful that the number of scholarships awarded will continue to grow thanks to our donors’ generous support.” 

This year, SIA has named one of the RISE Scholarship awards in honor of Pierre Trapanese, CEO and owner of Northland Controls and immediate past chair of the SIA Board of Directors. A total of 15 scholarships valued at $3,000 each will be awarded. 

Applying for the SIA RISE Scholarship is open to SIA student members and employees of SIA member companies who are part of the SIA RISE community. 

The deadline to apply for the 2023 SIA RISE Scholarship is Sept. 23. To learn more about the program and apply, go here.