Ten Nevada high school students, including five from Reno schools, were named National Cyber Scholars after winning a national competition. Just 600 students nationwide earned the title, whittled down from 30,000 entrants in the competition.
Winning students from Reno are:
- Jann Arellano, Academy of Arts, Careers and Technology, Reno
- Tyler Du, Academy of Arts, Careers and Technology, Reno
- Austin Finch, Academy of Arts, Careers and Technology, Reno
- Lloyd Gonzales, Academy of Arts, Careers and Technology, Reno
- Claire Burkhardt, Davidson Academy of Nevada, Reno
The remaining five state winners are from Las Vegas.
The National Cyber Scholar Foundation hosts the 48-hour competition, which is designed to test students’ ability to address cyber threats. The foundation’s goal is to identify future cybersecurity professionals and ensure the nation meets workforce demand in the cybersecurity industry.
The winners of this year’s competition each received an invitation to further their skills through a training and certification course at the Cyber Foundations Academy, in addition to a $2,500 scholarship.
Nevada is one of the few states where the majority of public schools—75%–teach computer science, according to the 2020 State of Computer Science Education: Illuminating Disparities report.
“Nevada’s educational leaders are committed to STEM education, workforce development programs and innovation,” said Brian Mitchell, Director of the Governor’s Office of Science, Innovation & Technology. “I am extremely proud of the students who have received this title, as they are demonstrating these values in action.”
Source: Nevada Department of Education
