Evans cybersecurity students take on nationwide challenge

EVANS, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Columbia County is leading the state with the most students eligible for scholarships from a nationwide cybersecurity challenge.

The CyberStart America competition teaches students valuable cyber security skills in a game format while winning scholarship money.

Students at Evans High say it helps get them ready for careers in cybersecurity. And one senior even snagged a job at the Cyber Center.

Hannah Kim, an Evans High senior, says, “And I don’t just do the challenges just to do them and it really helps me to take notes and learn more about what I’m getting into and overall it’s just been really fun.”

Another senior, Benjamin Smith says, “It makes you employable and companies are more likely to hire you because they don’t have to spend money to train you, you’re already trained on the systems and the tools and the software they use.”

Smith says uses all of the skills he’s learned at the Cyber Center, every day. The teachers hope it will get more students interested in cybersecurity careers.

Steven Hahn, cybersecurity and computer science teacher, says, “For the projected 2 and a half million jobs in cybersecurity that are going to be vacant in the near future, so they’re trying to boost the numbers.”

Along with Evans, Lakeside and Greenbrier High Schools, both have students in the competition. More than 140 have qualified for these scholarships throughout the county.

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