PAC cybersecurity team successful at national competition

Palo Alto College’s National Cyber League (NCL) team is fresh off a stellar performance at the Spring National Cyber League competition. This year’s competition saw the participation of 3,593 teams from all over the United States in the biannual event.

Rather than compete in the standard level of competition, the team challenged themselves by entering the experienced bracket, which means they’d be competing alongside those with industry-level experience.

The PAC advanced team, consisting of Jewel Rivas, Rolando Rodriguez, Robert Scott, Jose Cabrera, and Louis Sauceda, achieved an impressive feat. They secured the 48th spot in the experienced category of the National Cyber League’s power rankings for Spring 2023, making them one of seven community colleges in the top 50 nationwide. 

The NCL Competition enables students to prepare and test themselves against practical cybersecurity challenges they will likely face in the workforce, such as identifying hackers from forensic data, pen testing and auditing vulnerable websites, recovering from ransomware attacks, and additional cyber skill sets.

The team’s success demonstrates the PAC’s commitment to preparing students for employment in the cybersecurity industry. Students in the program are encouraged to participate in internships during their first and second years to gain vital industry experience. As part of their career development, they also work with a Career Experience Navigator to improve their soft skills. This includes creating a resume and cover letter, networking with professionals in the cybersecurity industry, and ultimately finding employment. 

Students participate in boot camps, where they can enhance their coursework with industry certificates like CompTIA Security+ and PenTest+, with many acquiring these certificates before graduation.

For more information about Palo Alto College’s Computer Sciences and Technology programs, visit alamo.edu/pac/computer-science.