Each year, the ESA Youth Scholarship Program recognizes the children of first responders who demonstrate academic achievement, leadership, and a commitment to serving their communities.

At ESX 2026, Cardin Ia was named ESA’s first-place national finalist and awarded a $30,000 scholarship. During his acceptance speech, Cardin shared his gratitude for the support, reflected on his father’s 25 years of service as a police officer, and explained how those lessons inspired him to lead, innovate, and give back.

Honoring First Responder Families Through the ESA Youth Scholarship Program

The electronic security industry works closely with the public safety sector, and ESA recognizes the dedication and contributions of the police officers, firefighters, paramedics, and EMTs who protect and serve our communities every day.

To show appreciation for first responders and their families, the ESA Youth Scholarship Program was created in 1996 to provide college scholarships to deserving children of first responders.

Since its launch, the program has awarded more than $1,057,200 to students nationwide, helping the next generation pursue their educational goals.

High school seniors who are committed to excellence and inspired by the work their first responder parents do in our communities are invited to apply each year.

Cardin Ia’s Acceptance Speech

“Good morning, everybody. My name is Cardin Ia, and I want to thank you all for having me here in Dallas this morning.

I want to take a moment to express my sincere gratitude to the Electronic Security Association for this scholarship.

This scholarship means more to my family than I can fully put into words.

My parents have spent their entire lives sacrificing so that my siblings and I could have chances they never had. Your generosity lightens a burden they have been carrying for a long time, and it gives them the ability to breathe a little easier knowing that we can be fully supported to our max potential.

For me personally, this scholarship is a reminder that there are generous people in this community who invest in youth like me and first responder families like mine.

It motivates me to work harder, give back more, and become someone worthy of the trust you’ve placed in me.

I am deeply grateful, not just for the financial support, but for what it represents. Someone saw potential in me and decided it was worth investing in, and I will not let it go to waste.

On behalf of myself and my entire family, thank you.”

The Meaning of Security

“Security means different things to different people.

For most, it’s locks on doors, officers on patrol, and the quiet assurance that someone is watching over the community.

For me, it’s always been something more specific: a man in a school resource officer uniform kneeling down to hand a donut to a preschooler, staying long enough to make that same child laugh, and leaving the school having made that child feel that the world was a little bit safer and that the person in uniform was someone who truly cared for them.

My father has served the Fresno community as a police officer for over 25 years.

I grew up watching him leave for afternoon shifts that stretched until 2 in the morning, and over the years, the car in our driveway changed with each of his assignments. Sometimes it was a patrol car, other times it was an undercover gray sedan.

He missed holidays, games, and ordinary evenings that families take for granted, but the sacrifices he made never looked like sacrifices to him.

It was purpose.”

Building Trust Before It Was Needed

“The image that stays with me most isn’t from a dramatic moment.

It’s from his time as a school resource officer at Duncan High School, where he did something I’ve thought about ever since.

He didn’t just keep order.

He showed up for students, talked with them, guided them, and made them feel approachable in a building where authority figures often weren’t.

And then there were his visits to the school’s preschool, where he’d bring donuts, sit and play with the kids, and simply be present with them.

Not as an officer, but as a person.

He understood something important: that the most important thing a first responder can do isn’t always the most visible.

Sometimes it’s showing a child that the person in uniform isn’t someone to fear, but someone who cares enough to show up for them.

I didn’t have words for what I was watching then, but I do now. He was building trust before it was ever needed. He was securing the community not just with presence, but with care.

Turning Lessons Into Leadership

“That lesson became the foundation of everything I’ve tried to do in my life.

When I noticed students at my school were curious about investing but had no place to learn, I did not wait for someone else to solve it.

Instead, I used the stock market knowledge my father taught me and built that place from the ground up.

My friends and I started the Future Investors Club, grew it to more than 60 members, and created a space where financial literacy wasn’t an insider’s privilege but something anyone could access.

During my senior year of high school, when both my Interact Club community service advisors stepped down and the club was at risk of disbanding, instead of letting a club that had served the Clovis community for more than 25 years fall apart, I personally approached teachers across campus, made my case, and secured three new advisors so the club could continue serving our community.”

Using Technology to Serve Others

“My father’s lessons also shaped how I approached my passion for computer science.

Rather than building tools simply for myself, I build them around the people around me because that is what he modeled every day.

When students at my school struggled to find reliable study materials, I built Cardly, a digital flashcard website that organizes study sets I created for my AP classes over the years.

Walking into the library and seeing students I had never met flipping through flashcards on a website I built showed me how impactful code can be when designed around real needs.

I applied that same thinking to my other projects, creating tools and resources designed to help people and solve real challenges.”

Continuing a Legacy of Service

“The most direct reflection of my father’s influence is my involvement with Fresno PAL, the same nonprofit where he volunteers on weekends connecting local youth with police officers through mentorship and sports.

I didn’t join just because it looked good on paper. I joined because I’d spent years watching him show up for strangers, and I wanted to help stand in that same gap he stood in.

That same consistency is why I push myself to maintain a 4.0 GPA, earn valedictorian, and build clubs and tools that reach hundreds of students.

Because he showed me that showing up fully every time is what separates good intentions from real impact.”

A Standard of Service

“My father never gave me a lecture on values.

He gave me something better.

He gave me a standard set in the quiet moments between shifts and the gifts he brought to preschoolers who would forget his name but remember how he made them feel.

Public safety is more than patrol cars and emergency calls. It’s the long, patient work of making people feel seen, supported, and valued by those who choose to serve them.

My father taught me that, and everything I built, every room I walked into ready to lead, every stranger I’ve tried to help, it all traces back to a man in a school resource officer uniform kneeling down to hand a child a donut and staying long enough to make that same child smile. Thank you.”

Watch Cardin Ia’s Full Acceptance Speech

Hear Cardin’s inspiring message about family, service, leadership, and the impact first responders make in communities across the country.

▶ Watch the full 2026 ESA Youth Scholarship acceptance speech here.

Help Support the Next Generation of Leaders

Stories like Cardin’s are made possible through the generosity of donors and volunteers who believe in supporting the families of those who protect and serve our communities.

Your contribution helps ESA continue providing scholarships to deserving students nationwide while honoring the first responders who inspire them.

Donate today:
esaweb.org/donate-esa-youth-scholarship

Interested in getting involved? ESA is looking for volunteers to support the Youth Scholarship Committee and help continue this important mission.

To volunteer, contact Hannah Boone at hannah.boone@esaweb.org