Computer whiz and Running Start student uses intuition to stop would-be hackers
Computer whiz and Running Start student uses intuition to stop would-be hackers
Jan. 6, 2020
To stop a hacker, one must think like a hacker, so anytime Wyatt Polasek enters an
online competition or tackles a request to the Rogers High School Help Desk, he tries
to enter the deep, dark mind of a cybercriminal.
“You have to know exactly what they’re doing and what their next move is,” said the
17-year-old Rogers’ senior and Running Start student at the Community College of Rhode
Island.
“It’s like chess. You have to be a couple of moves ahead of them at all times.”
Polasek’s quick thinking and resourceful problem-solving has put him on the fast track
to a career in cybersecurity. Thanks to CCRI’s Running Start program, he is getting
a leg up on his peers by attending classes at the college’s Newport County Campus
as a high school senior.
In 2020, he’ll enroll at CCRI as a Rhode Island Promise scholar with the ultimate
goal of transferring to the University of Rhode Island to major in Computer Science
with a minor in Cybersecurity. The professors and advisors at CCRI have helped guide
Polasek down the right path.
“All my professors love the topic they are teaching, which is encouraging,” Polasek
said. “You can spark up a good conversation with any of the teachers here and they
are happy to talk to you after class and answer your questions. I’ve had great experiences
at CCRI.”
Polasek became fascinated with computer science when his parents bought him an Apple
desktop at the age of 11. He began honing his skills behind the keyboard, starting
out small by modifying video games for he and his friends, known as “modding” within
the gaming community. As he gained more experience, Polasek learned to code and eventually
figured out how to detect security breaches on otherwise protected servers, a skill
set that would be dangerous in the wrong hands, but beneficial in an industry where
privacy is critical.
“Servers contain so much sensitive material, like students’ social security numbers
or passwords,” Polasek said. “It’s scary to think what someone with bad intentions
who’s really good at hacking could do with it.”
With monstrous data breaches making headlines in recent years – among them, the Target
malware hack that compromised the credit card and banking information of more than
40 million customers – Polasek began connecting the dots between his unique ability
and a potential career path.
“When I understood the demand in this field, that, for me, cemented the idea of becoming
a cybersecurity expert.”
At Rogers, Polasek used his knowledge of computer science to co-create a student Help
Desk with the school’s Information Technology (IT) department, a valuable resource
for fellow students who needed quick and easily-accessible solutions to common IT
problems. The school also offered him a paid a summertime internship as the Help Desk
manager. A year later, he took two introductory Computer Science courses at CCRI as
a junior with Professor John Mowry through P-TECH RI (Pathways in Technology Early
College High School) before enrolling in the Running Start program in 2019.
The ability to take college-level courses and transferrable credits as a high-school
senior has given Polasek a renewed sense of focus in the classroom. In addition to
his work with the Rogers’ Help Desk, he competes regularly in online cybersecurity
competitions – including CyberPatriot, which awards education grants to winners at
the national level – and plans to take business courses next year at CCRI to learn
how to properly invest his future earnings.
Working in the cybersecurity field will allow him to continue using his intuition
and prowess to stop would-be hackers before they strike.
“It’s really exciting to be 17 and still be a senior, but to be able to push myself
and access my career so quickly,” he said. “With computer programming, you can teach
yourself basic concepts and you can memorize the codes you need to know, but when
it comes down to really understanding how the codes work and finding shortcuts, you
really need someone to be a guiding hand. That’s where CCRI has been the most resourceful.
The Running Start program has put me on the right path toward achieving my goals.”
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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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April 17, 2025
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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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Warwick, RI – The Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) is proud to announce that it has been designated a Military Friendly® School for the fourth consecutive year, achieving Gold status for the first time during the 2025–2026 academic year. This prestigious recognition underscores CCRI's unwavering commitment to supporting military service members, veterans, and their families.
Jan. 6, 2020
