This is a guest post written by Emily from North Carolina. She became a Scholar with Honors in the National Cyber Scholarship Competition by playing CyberStart America and picoCTF.

“Prior to playing CyberStart Game, I had no intentions of diving into this field.”

We caught up with Emily to find out how CyberStart America helped her become a National Cyber Scholarship (NCS) Scholar with Honors, and her future study and career plans.

How would you describe your experience of the National Cyber Scholarship Competition?

The competition was an exhilarating experience: attempting challenges, jumping up and down when I got a flag, and learning cyber skills that'll no doubt be useful in the near future! I've participated in these CTFs each year since 9th grade, and it's always been the highlight of the spring or summer.

I haven't been so invested in something in a long time, and during the competition, I was definitely "in the zone." I would work for hours without realizing they had passed! This year, I'm taking away more skills from this experience, but most importantly, I had a remarkably enjoyable time.

“The competition was an exhilarating experience: attempting challenges, jumping up and down when I got a flag, and learning cyber skills that'll no doubt be useful in the near future!”

How did you prepare for the National Cyber Scholarship Competition?

CyberStart America was a BIG help! The most important distinction was that this program's challenges were pretty similar to the ones on the NCS competition, which I believe gave me a leg up. These formats are actually my favorite though - I think I've gotten pretty used to how they are written.

How did you feel about becoming a Scholar with Honors in the Competition?

I am so happy that I received the status of Scholar with Honors! Coming into the competition, I did not have very high expectations for myself since I knew there was so much talent in the cybersecurity community.

Putting my feelings into one word, I just am thrilled. It's truthfully a big honor to hold this title among other qualified high schoolers; it's nice to see how my effort throughout the years in CyberStart Game has paid off.

“It's truthfully a big honor to hold this title among other qualified high schoolers; it's nice to see how my effort throughout the years in CyberStart Game has paid off.”

Before participating in the National Cyber Scholarship Competition, were you considering a career in cybersecurity?

Prior to participating in the NCS competition, I was. However, it is important to point out that I had ALREADY participated in CyberStart Game for the past two years. Prior to playing CyberStart Game, I had no intentions of diving into this field.

Since participating in the National Cyber Scholarship Competition, are you now considering a career in cybersecurity?

I am now considering a career in this intriguing field! The first thing I did was sign up for the Foundations of Cybersecurity course at my school, which will help me get a better idea of what specific pathway I want to take.

NCS has introduced me to so many aspects of cybersecurity (which honestly are all appealing to me), but I personally love software application security the most! After I become a CS major and dive specifically into cybersecurity, I plan to finalize which particular job within the field I want to pursue.

Do you have plans to continue your cybersecurity studies?

I do have plans to continue my cybersecurity studies! My dream college is Carnegie Mellon since they are the people behind picoCTF. They have an amazing CS program, and I would love to join their CTF teams and get on the cybersecurity track. I am also considering NC State, as they have great cybersecurity resources along with Duke and UMD.

Could you become a Scholar with Honors like Emily? Find out and start training today with CyberStart America!