Midway High School’s career and technical education program has produced a group of cyber-savvy students who are earning recognition from two highly respected national programs, the National Cyber Scholarship Foundation (NCSF) and CyberPatriot.
During the 2021-2022 school year, 11 Midway students received honors from NCSF for their mastery of cybersecurity concepts, with Jai Patel, Ethan Vowels, Caleb Pruitt, and Mark White named finalists and awarded the National Cyber Scholarship. Out of over 45,000 students across the US who sought to qualify, these four scholars were among the top 2% selected to receive a scholarship valued at over $3,000 to participate in the Cyber Foundations Academy, a multi-week cybersecurity online education program. Additionally, NCSF finalists Arielle Wong, Priya West, Samantha Daniel, Anthony Espinosa, Esther Kim, Jackson Lee, and Sophia Mitchell-Flores are among the top 5% of highest-scoring students in the country who completed the NCSF Scholarship Application.
In another achievement, Midway High School students excelled in the CyberPatriot National Youth Cyber Defense Competition, the largest cyber defense competition in the country. Two teams qualified to compete in the national semifinals, including the all-sophomore team of Samantha Daniel, Lillian Goodman, Dante Griffin, and Jackson Lee, and the team of Cole Baldwin, Colin Jones, Zachary Montgomery, Leah Williams, and Zach Williams. This year, every Midway team competed in the gold tier or higher at state, with two teams earning a spot in the platinum tier.
Midway High School computer science teacher Susan Jones expressed her excitement over the achievement of her students, saying, “Getting our kids involved in the National Cyber Scholarship program gives them the opportunity to enhance their education in addition to what they are getting from school. Midway already has a full pathway for cyber, but it’s great that they can earn scholarship points and additional training.” She also noted that CyberPatriot is recognized by all branches of the military, making it an excellent opportunity for students to gain exposure to the industry.
Image: Scholars and finalists of the National Cyber Scholarship Foundation pictured from left to right: (back row) Arielle Wong, Ethan Vowels, (middle row) Sophia Mitchell-Flores, Anthony Espinosa, Jackson Lee, (front row) Esther Kim, and Samantha Daniel. Jai Patel, Priya West, Caleb Pruitt (2022 graduate), and Mark White (2022 graduate) are not pictured. Photo taken by Midway ISD.
Central Texas Reporter 