“If someone who not only saves lives but also boosts community spirit isn’t a hero, then I don’t know who is.”
With his parents in attendance (far left), Joseph Pavlisko accepts a check for $10,000 from NBFAA President George Gunning (left) and Public Relations Committee Chairman Frank Burke (right). Download high res photo
That’s what Joseph Wayne Pavlisko, a recent graduate of Kirtland High School in Kirtland, Ohio, had to say about his father, a firefighter and paramedic with the South Euclid fire department.
Joseph was this year’s first place, $10,000 winner in the National Burglar & Fire Alarm Association (NBFAA) Youth Scholarship Program. The NBFAA Youth Scholarship Program provides $21,000 in scholarships annually to children of police officers and firefighters. Applicants are judged on their academic achievements, community activities and essay written about their law enforcement or firefighter parent. To date, NBFAA has awarded more than $270,000 in scholarships.
To achieve this honor, Joseph first won the Ohio Burglar & Fire Alarm Association Youth Scholarship Program and then competed with other state winners from around the country for the national prize.
In his essay, he said nothing changed his view of his father more than the events of September 11, 2001.
“At the time, I had no clue what the World Trade Centers were. I didn’t understand the mammoth tragedy that had just shaken the American people to their core. I didn’t appreciate the newfound patriotism the USA would unearth within itself. But for the first time in my life, I realized just how important, how absolutely essential, firefighters are to our society,” Joseph wrote.
His father, Joseph, Sr., described his son as very brave, recounting the time he left for Germany for a year at age 15 as part of a foreign exchange program.
“I didn’t want him to go because I thought he was too young but he persisted and we agreed. He went to Germany not knowing a lick of German and returned a year later fluent in the language,” said Joseph, Sr.
His bravery and independence continue to be strong traits as Joseph will be attending the University of Alabama in the fall–nearly 800 miles away from his family.
“He’s braver than I am,” his father said. “I love him, I’m proud of him and I can’t wait to see what he does.”
The second place winner, Mallory Horner of Asheboro, N.C., will receive a $7,500 scholarship from NBFAA. Mallory is a graduate of Eastern Randolph High School and has been accepted to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her father, Eric Hoffman, is a North Carolina State Trooper and Chief of the East Side Fire Department in Randolph County.
Emilee Geedey of Lewistown, Pa. took third place in the Youth Scholarship Program, winning a $2,500 scholarship. She is a graduate of the Lewiston Area High School where her father, Richard Geedey, is a Pennsylvania State Police Trooper.
In addition to the NBFAA scholarship, each state winner receives a scholarship from their individual state association. Students who reside in states without a chartered NBFAA chapter or in a state with a non-participating state association submit their applications directly to the NBFAA, which chooses one applicant to compete against the state winners as the national nominee. This year, NBFAA chose Alyssa Rosson, a graduate of Westmoore High School in Oklahoma City, as their national nominee and awarded her a $1,000 scholarship for her acheivements.
The NBFAA may be reached at (888) 447-1689 or on the Web at www.alarm.org.
