By Adele Uphaus
MANAGING EDITOR AND CORRESPONDENT
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Two Spotsylvania High School students were among eight chosen to represent the United States on a student panel at the White House as part of the 2nd annual Quad Cyber Challenge on October 10.
Jake Goodwin and J’C Kabunga participated in the panel with students from high schools in California and Colorado.
The participating schools were invited by the National Security Council based on having teachers who have been recipients of the Presidential Cybersecurity Education Award. Spotsylvania High School’s cybersecurity teacher, Kristi Rice, was one of two 2021 recipients of the award.
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The international Quad Cyber Challenge was launched last year by the four Quad partners—Australia, India, Japan, and the United States—with the goal of “strengthen[ing] responsible cyber ecosystems, promot[ing] public resources, and rais[ing] cybersecurity awareness,” according to a joint press release from the four countries.
The theme of this year’s challenge was “promoting cybersecurity education and building a strong workforce.”
On October 10, the students representing the U.S. joined officials from Australia, Japan, and India at the White House. For the panel, Cindy Marten, assistant deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Education asked the students questions about favorite moments in their cybersecurity education, how teachers can improve cybersecurity education, and how to get more people interested in the field.
J.C. said he’s grateful that his education in cybersecurity has allowed him to “take charge and control his own home network.” For Jake, his favorite moment was another field trip with Rice earlier this fall, during which he got a tour of the White House from Daniel Ragsdale, deputy assistant national cyber director, and met with National Cyber Director Harry Coker for a conversation about cybersecurity education.
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