Governor Abbott Congratulates 68 Texas High School Students Named National Cyber Scholars

May 21, 2021 | Austin, Texas | Press Release

Governor Greg Abbott today congratulated the 68 Texas high school students named National Cyber Scholars after competing in the National Cyber Scholarship Foundation's (NCSF) 48-hour competition designed to evaluate aptitude in combating cyber threats. The NCSF offers 600 college scholarships to top-ranking competitors, and Texas ranked first in the nation for the number of winners. These students each won a $2,500 scholarship and an invitation to participate in the Cyber Foundations Academy, a multi-week training and certification course. 

There are several qualification pathways for the National Cyber Scholarship Competition including CyberStart America, a free online program that helps students discover their interest in cybersecurity and develop their talent and skills. Governor Abbott announced Texas' partnership with CyberStart America in November. Additionally, National Cyber Scholars, along with the competition’s 1,000 finalists, are invited to participate in the Cyber Foundations Academy. 

"Congratulations to the 68 Texas high school students who have been named National Cyber Scholars by the NCSF," said Governor Abbott. "Cybersecurity is one of the most important fields in our nation today, and I am proud of these Texas students for tackling this critical issue by showcasing their exceptional skills and talent throughout this competition. You make Texas proud." 

Texas high school students named National Cyber Scholars: 

 

Jeriah Yu

Liberal Arts and Science Academy

Brooke Bennett

A&M Consolidated High School

Mark Amirkan

Allen High School

Reese Hoffart

Allen High School

Alexander Heath

Azle High School

Nicolas Torres

BASIS San Antonio Shavano Campus

Samantha Heald

L.D. Bell High School

Anonymous

Gene A. Buinger Career & Technical Education Academy

William Cotter

Clear Springs High School

Damian Lall

Clements High School

Emily Li

William P Clements High School

Zongyu Li

Clements High School

Erica Miller

Dulles High School

Albert Sun

Clements High school

Bella Xu

Clements High School

Zeki Gurbuz

Cypress Woods High School

Ronak Malik

Cypress Woods High School

Kayla Spears

DeSoto High School

Eric Stigler

DeSoto High School

Helena Simmons

Flour Bluff High School

Jake Halaska

Friendswood High School

Colby Dooley

Rockwall Highschool/Gene Burton College and Career Academy

Bode Raymond

Rockwall-Heath High School

Alex Westrich

Rockwall-Heath High School

Anonymous

Hebron High School

Numair Hajyani

Hebron High School

Elle Renshaw

Home Schooled

Bryson Deweese

Infinity Early College High School

Rae Xin

International School of the Americas

Muyi Aghedo

Kingwood High School

Joey Beideck

Kingwood High School

Bradley Butterfield

Kingwood High School

Nathan Franke

Kingwood High School

Alexandra Swift

Kingwood High School

Alline Ayala

Lake Travis High School

Marvin Fung

Langham Creek High School

Parnika Mandewalkar

Langham Creek High School

Evan Ellis

Liberal Arts and Science Academy

Carlyle Morris

Liberal Arts and Sciences Academy

Sophia Boghani

Leadership Prep School

Aiella Downing

Leadership Prep school

Saishravan Muthukrishnan

Lebanon Trail High School

Rishit Viral

Lebanon Trail High School

Siddh Bamb

Liberal Arts and Science Academy High School

Talia Acevedo

Los Fresnos High School

Catalina Valdez

Los Fresnos High School

Erin Blasingame

Martin High School

Sydney Hermance

Martin High School

Nicholas Kocurek

James Martin High School

Michelle Nguyen

James Martin High School

Caleb Pruitt

Midway High School

Tan Vo

North Garland High School

Jackson Ramirez

New Braunfels High School

Anonymous

Northwest Early College High School

Dahana Solis

Northwest Early College High School

Antonio Charfauros

Northside School of Innovation, Technology, & Entrepreneurship

Sarah Castillo

Pampa High school

Benjamin Langford

Pampa High School

Taylor Williams

Pampa High School

Jordi Del Castillo

Plano West Senior High School

Vishnuu Gopi

Plano West Senior High School

Gikonyo Njendu

Plano West Senior High School

Tristan Lee

Theodore Roosevelt High School

Roselyn Schnabel

Theodore Roosevelt High School/Engineering and Technologies Academy

Anonymous

Smithson Valley High School

Katie Miri

St. Dominic Savio Catholic High School

Jocelyn Zhang

Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science