The Electronic Security Association (ESA) has selected the winners of the 2024 ESA Youth Scholarship Awards. This humanitarian effort honors and awards high school graduates whose parents are police officers, firefighters, paramedics, or EMTs.
The ESA Youth Scholarship Program has granted over $941,500 to these deserving young people, demonstrating the organization’s dedication to giving back to the brave men and women who defend our communities.
“Participating in the youth scholarship program for children of first responders is profoundly rewarding, as it offers these incredibly deserving young individual’s opportunities they might not otherwise have,” says Kelly Bond, partner at Davis Mergers and Acquisitions Group and scholarship chairwoman.
“Seeing their individual successes, and knowing you’ve contributed to their futures, brings immense personal satisfaction and pride,” she says.
The ESA youngsters Scholarship Award “strives to make an impact on youth so they can make an impact on the world, much as their parents have,” according to the association’s release. This year, ESA collaborated with nine state organizations to support first responder families through a programmatic initiative. Awards were awarded in each state, and national first and second place winners were announced.
Brady Freundel, the son of police officer James Freundel, won first place this year. The younger Freundel expresses his pride at having a first responder as a parent.
“I have always been proud to tell others that my father is a police officer for the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department,” says Brady Freundel in the ESA announcement. “His sacrifice, like others in public safety, is honorable, yet he is humble and expects nothing in return for his dedicated work. I have tried my best to incorporate these traits in my life as well.”
In the fall, Brady Freundel will begin his endeavor of becoming an electrical engineer. He hopes to serve the United States of America by creating weapons systems that deter aggression against our country. As an engineer, Brady plans to use his skills to empower those in need while giving back to the community through coaching STEM programs at local schools.
“I strive to live a life of service to my community like my father,” says the younger Freundel. “This scholarship will help me reach my goal of becoming an electrical engineer and making my community the best it can be.”
ESA flew Brady and his father to ESX 2024 in Louisville, Ky., in June to receive the $13,500 award in person.
The second-place national winner, Jesse Stewart from Washington, whose father is a firefighter for Shoreline Fire Department Station 61, was awarded $3,500.