On Dec. 12, CyberPatriot members attended their State competition all day. Though official scores are not released until around a week following the tournament, the club has high hopes.

In a normal competition, there are two challenges: one involves fixing vulnerabilities in Windows and Linux, and the other involves a quiz and networking exercise. Though competitions last at least six hours, this does not deter the members from success.

“I think the most interesting thing is the challenge,” Gabby Nieves, senior, said. “The challenges have been getting harder. I also want to eventually be able to teach other people because I have a good grasp on what I do.” 

Holding two platinum bracket teams, one gold division and two silver division teams, the top 25% in each class will qualify for Semi-finals Jan. 21-22. Sponsored by the Air Force, the club attends  competition with challenges get progressively harder. Getting stuck in the middle is not unprecedented and the club acts as a learning experience for all the members. The club brings together students with a common interest in computer science. 

“Having clubs like these not only making people more aware of how cybersecurity works but it’s also giving students experience in how to be more aware of your own security,” Ayush Arora, junior, said. “It’s a new experience, and it feels more special.”