Seven students in Montreat College’s Computer Information Systems program participated in the recent National Cyber League competition. The competition included 788 students from more than 100 other colleges and universities across the country.
The National Cyber League pre-season competition was divided into three categories based on participant knowledge and skill level: bronze for novice players, silver for intermediate players and gold for experienced players. Competition participants included CIS students Ryan Walker, Joel Watanabe, David Teo, Adam Shuman, Jason Stone, Alan Jackson and Ayobami Oyemade.
“The National Cyber League competition was meaningful to me because it gave me the objective of learning techniques that hackers use to compromise computer systems. The competition provided an environment where I could learn how to defend networks in the real world,” explained Alan Jackson, Computer Information Systems student.
The National Cyber League, established in 2011, provides students with an opportunity to engage in lab exercises, individual and team games and “industry-recognized, performance-based exam objectives” to test and enhance their cybersecurity skills.
Dr. Jeff Teo, professor of computer information systems at Montreat College, shared of NCL competition, “Our students are given the opportunity to develop, practice, and validate their cybersecurity knowledge acquired in coursework and labs. By participating in this competition, students can practice cybersecurity in a safe, yet, challenging and competitive environment.”
In relation to Montreat’s CIS program, Dr. Teo shared, “Our Computer Information Systems students are eager to acquire the needed skills to be successful in the cybersecurity field and they also know the importance of ethics and applying and using technology for good and in a God-glorifying way.”
Montreat College CIS students will compete again at the November 9 conference game, hosted by the National Cyber League.