DATELINE – A team of students from TLCA Junior High in San Angelo, Texas recently concluded an exceptional round of competition in the tenth season of CyberPatriot – the Air Force Association’s National Youth Cyber Defense Competition.
Established by AFA in 2009, CyberPatriot is designed to excite, educate, and motivate students toward careers in cyber security and other science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines critical to our nation’s future.
CyberPatriot’s core program – the National Youth Cyber Defense Competition – challenges teams of students across the United States, Canada, and from DoDD schools abroad, to find and resolve cybersecurity vulnerabilities in simulated environments. Top teams from the preliminary online rounds earn an all-expenses-paid trip to Baltimore, Md., for the in-person National Finals Competition, where students compete for national recognition and scholarships.
The CyberPatriot field is divided into three divisions – the Open Division for public, private, and home school teams; the All Service Division for JROTC, Civil Air Patrol, and Naval Sea Cadet Corps teams; and the Middle School Division. Based on the results of two preliminary rounds, CyberPatriot X high school teams were categorized within their divisions as Platinum, Gold, or Silver Tier teams, with Platinum Tier teams representing the highest scoring teams.
Led by Coach Becca Levesque, the team of students from TLCA Junior High excelled in the CyberPatriot X State Round held Jan. 19-21, demonstrating teamwork, critical thinking skills, and technical knowledge key to a successful career in cybersecurity. The team’s performance earned it Texas’ 1st Place Award and a spot in the Platinum Tier Semifinal Round held this month.
“This is our first year to compete and it was very exciting and rewarding. The students and I learned so much! We had a wonderful mentor, Nathaniel Singer, an airman from Goodfellow air Force Base and a veteran in the CyberPatriot competitions. We are so grateful for Mr. Singer volunteering his time and expertise to help these students be so successful.” Becca Levesque
Following the Regional/Category Round and Middle School Division Semifinals Round, top teams in the Open and All Service Divisions’ Platinum Tier and the top three Middle School Division teams nationally will advance to the CyberPatriot X National Finals Competition in Baltimore, Md., in April.
More information is available at www.uscyberpatriot.org or from the CyberPatriot staff at [email protected].
The Air Force Association is a non-profit, independent, professional military and aerospace education association. Our mission is to promote a dominant United States Air Force and a strong national defense and to honor Airmen and our Air Force Heritage.