Security Industry Association Announces RISE Scholarship Opportunity

SIA invites its young professional members and student members to apply for this program offering $3,000 scholarships to further their education and career goals.   

SILVER SPRING, Md. – 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, powered 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. So much has been done behind the scenes to ensure that we maintain one of the best scholarship programs in the industry. In 2020 we introduced the student loan repayment option, something every YP can relate to on a personal level. For us, adding something like that is crucial to the big picture: how can we attribute to the growth of a YP in the security industry? Additionally, in 2021 we began fundraising with the end goal of giving out more 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. 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 Friday, Sept. 23, 2022. Learn more about the program and apply here.

The SIA RISE Scholarship powered by FAST is made possible with the generous support of our donors. FAST is a nonprofit dedicated to connecting passionate, innovative professionals with new opportunities in the electronic security and life safety industry. Your donation to FAST, earmarked for the RISE Scholarship, is tax deductible. Learn more and make a donation here.

SIA RISE is a community that fosters the careers of young professionals in the security industry. In addition to the SIA RISE Scholarship, SIA RISE offers fun in-person and virtual networking events for young professionals, the Talent Inclusion Mentorship Education (TIME) program for early and mid-career professionals, career growth webinars and trade show education tracks and the annual AcceleRISE conference – an essential experienced designed to ignite new thinking, strengthen leadership and sharpen business acumen in young security talent. The SIA RISE community is open to all employees at SIA member companies who are young professionals under 40 or have been in the security industry for less than two years; learn more and sign up to join.  

About SIA

SIA is the leading trade association for global security solution providers, with over 1,200 innovative member companies representing thousands of security leaders and experts who shape the future of the security industry. SIA protects and advances its members’ interests by advocating pro-industry policies and legislation at the federal and state levels, creating open industry standards that enable integration, advancing industry professionalism through learning and development, opening global market opportunities and collaborating with other like-minded organizations. As the premier sponsor of ISC Events expos and conferences, SIA ensures its members have access to top-level buyers and influencers, as well as unparalleled learning and network opportunities. SIA also enhances the position of its members in the security marketplace through SIA GovSummit, which brings together private industry with government decision makers, and Securing New Ground, the security industry’s top executive conference for peer-to-peer networking.