CCRI student, alumnus earn scholarships through online cybersecurity competition
CCRI student, alumnus earn scholarships through online cybersecurity competition
Sept. 11, 2019
Community College of Rhode Island student Raul Martinez and Class of 2019 graduate
Wilkin Sanchez recently earned scholarships through their participation in a nationwide
online cybersecurity program for college students and graduates.
Martinez and Sanchez, both Providence, RI, residents, each took home a $500 Cyber
Honors Academy Scholarship for their performance in Cyber FastTrack.
The program, offered by the renowned SANS Technology Institute, is an annual competition
in which participants learn various aspects of cybersecurity – from forensics to security
operations – through challenges, quizzes and tutorials. There are four stages of Cyber
FastTrack and scholarships are awarded based on overall scores in addition to the
number of stages completed by each participant.
Martinez and Sanchez are two of 178 scholarship recipients – and only three from Rhode
Island – out of the more than 13,000 participants from various two- and four-year
colleges in 26 eligible states.
CCRI also succeeded at the team level with 10 of its 44 participants reaching the
quarterfinals, which ranked 48th nationally among qualifying colleges.
In addition to scholarships, top performers in Cyber FastTrack also earn opportunities
to conduct mock interviews with prospective employers or train at the SANS Institute
to continue studying forensics and cyber defense.
“I was so excited when I got the email saying that I had won the scholarship. I couldn’t
believe it!” said Martinez, a native of El Salvador who is studying Cybersecurity
at CCRI. “This program is awesome and a fun way to practice the skills I have learned
from my courses at CCRI, plus you get to learn more skills throughout the competition.
I can’t wait to give it another try next time the registration opens.”
Sanchez, 25, a native of Bani, Dominican Republic, enrolled in ESL courses at CCRI
in 2014 after moving to the United States and currently works as a Ground Control
Support Specialist at Envision Technology Advisors in Pawtucket, RI. He plans to transfer
to Rhode Island College to pursue his bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or earn
an additional scholarship through Cyber FastTrack to study cybersecurity at the SANS
Institute.
“Earning this scholarship was a great feeling,” Sanchez said. “I started the Cyber
FastTrack program just because I wanted to gain more knowledge in cybersecurity, not
because of the scholarship itself. However, it felt very rewarding knowing that I
won something at the same time I learned.”
Sanchez will also compete this fall in the National Cyber League, a biannual cybersecurity
competition for high school and college students consisting of a series of challenges
such as identifying hackers, recovering from ransomware attacks and breaking into
vulnerable websites.
“What’s even more telling than their success is the initiative these students have
taken, from putting the Cybersecurity Club together to getting themselves affiliated
with the National Cybersecurity Student Association,” said CCRI Computer Studies Assistant
Professor Michael Kelly. “As much as you can learn in the classroom, these are the
opportunities that keep your mind sharp and keep your skills up to date by forcing
you to delve into the unknown and think on your feet.”
CCRI also earned designation as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber
Defense (CAE-CD) from both the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Department of
Homeland Defense through its promotion of higher education and research in cyber defense
in addition to providing the workforce with a pipeline of qualified cybersecurity
professionals.
The Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education (CAE-IAE) program,
which develops the curriculum and requirements, launched in 1999 and now has more
than 270 institutions nationwide, including CCRI, with CAE-CD designation.
Institutions with CAE designation are eligible to compete for grants such as the Department
of Defense Cybersecurity Scholarship or the National Science Foundation’s Scholarship
for Service Programs. The CAE community works hand-in-hand with employers in the cybersecurity
industry to help students develop the necessary skills to enter the workforce and
actively engages with government representatives to provide educational workshops
and other opportunities for member institutions.
“We’re very proud to earn a Center of Academic Excellence designation,” Kelly said.
“This puts us on the map for a lot of different things and we’re now part of a larger
community of designated schools.
“The designation process was a good self-study of our program and gave us a sense
of what our strength are. We are new to this phase, but, hopefully, it opens up some
meaningful opportunities for our students.”
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On Thursday, May 15, 2025, the Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) celebrated a milestone achievement: its 60th Commencement Ceremony. Held at the Amica Mutual Pavilion, the event marked the culmination of CCRI’s year-long diamond anniversary celebration and was a stirring tribute to six decades of transformation, opportunity, and achievement for Rhode Islanders.
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Ten student-athletes from the Community College of Rhode Island were honored last week for their athletic and academic achievements as part of the annual Scholar-Athlete Awards held in House Chamber of the Rhode Island State House. The Legislative Awards are designed to provide public recognition for student-athletes from CCRI, Rhode Island College, and the University of Rhode Island for significant achievements in their academic and athletic pursuits. The honorees have also demonstrated exemplary citizenship and community service.
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April 17, 2025
The Community College of Rhode Island and Rhode Island Energy are teaming up to offer a free exploratory program designed to give participants a window into the growing utilities industry.
Introduction to Utilities – free to anyone who meets eligibility requirements through funding from Rhode Island Energy – is a seven-hour introductory course that provides participants with foundational skills and knowledge to explore career pathways within the utilities sector, specifically with Rhode Island Energy.
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April 10, 2025
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