Two juniors in Hunterdon County Vocational School District’s Computer Science & Applied Engineering Academy (CSAEA) have emerged from a competitive pool of student qualifiers for this year’s National Cyber Scholarship Competition to earn “Scholar” status.
CSAEA III students Bradley Emmons and Richard Li recently learned their respective placements in the top 25% and top 10% of participating students earned them the “Scholar” status and a scholarship accompanying that honor.
Emmons and Li each will receive a $2,500 scholarship for the U.S. college of their choice. The “Scholar” designation was given to the top 540 highest-scoring students out of nearly 3,300 competing nationwide who met the eligibility criteria, including being in 11th or 12th grade. Emmons and Li were among 63 Scholars named in New Jersey.
In acknowledging the scholarship awards, the National Cyber Scholarship Team thanked the teachers and school administrators who supported their students throughout the competition. Also noting, “Your students have shown great determination and persistence. They have also demonstrated a huge variety of valuable cyber skills while learning new ones throughout the competition. Their strengths, knowledge and ambition are a fantastic step towards bright and fulfilling futures.”
Emmons, a Lambertville resident, hopes to use his Scholar designation to attend the Cyber Foundations Academy this coming summer; Li, of Asbury, will attend if it fits into his already busy schedule. The Cyber Foundations Academy helps attendees master 50 core knowledge and skills sets that enable them to gain “the minimum acceptable technical skills needed to qualify for an entry-level technical job in cybersecurity in 2021.”
“I am so proud of Bradley and Richard for participating in competitions and programs to supplement the already rigorous Academy instruction,” said instructor Justin Montgomery. “I am looking forward to having them share what they learn over the summer with their peers in the CSAEA next year.”