Two students have tied for first place in the National Burglar and Fire Alarm Association’s (NBFAA) Youth Scholarship Award program. According to NBFAA, this is the fist time that this has ever happened.
Jordan Biltoft of Spokane, Wash., and Ryan Patton of Yorba Linda, Calif., were this year’s winners and will receive $5,000 each.
Scholarship recipients are chosen on a combination of academic achievement, national test scores, extracurricular participation and an essay on “How Your Father, Mother or Guardian Helps Us Secure Our Community.”
Biltoft, the son of fire equipment operator Leigh Biltoft, is a graduate of East Valley High School and plans to attend Eastern Washington University. In his essay, he wrote about his memories of 9/11.
Patton, a graduate of Esperanza High School in Anaheim, Calif., is the son of Charles Patton, deputy sheriff for Orange County, Calif., and plans to attend Stanford University. In his essay, he wrote about the roots of good and evil and the role of law enforcement.
