Annual milestone event underscores CyberTexas Foundation’s leading efforts connecting young people to educational and career paths in one of San Antonio’s largest and fastest-growing tech sectors.
03-01-2023
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SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS — The CyberTexas Foundation, at the forefront of developing and fortifying the talent of San Antonio's vast cybersecurity ecosystem, recently brought together over 500 middle and high school students from 67 area schools at Boeing Center at Tech Port as part of the organization's 13th Annual San Antonio Mayor's Cyber Cup and College/Tech Fair — a morning full of activities which closed with an awards ceremony luncheon featuring a keynote address from San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg and 16th Air Force Commander Lt. Gen. Kevin B. Kennedy.
The students were among the region's participants in CyberPatriot XV, a yearlong nationwide defensive cybersecurity competition. Of note, San Antonio is by far the community with the largest contingency of participants in the nation; of approximately 5,600 CyberPatriot teams in the United States, 345 hail from the San Antonio region.
San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg delivers the event's keynote address.
"My first internship, and current one, are with Capital Factory here at Tech Port," said student Jammel Weaver. "I have developed teamwork skills, I have developed leadership skills, I have learned how to network, I have learned several things about business, as well as other things in the industry."
"I think it's absolutely an incredible opportunity for us high school students to be here and be able to talk to industry representatives, people from colleges and universities and just get to know what's out there for us," said student Seyma Kilic. "Cybersecurity is an ever-growing field, and the demand for it is incredible."
Also joining the students were their teachers, mentors and family members. Additionally, more than 20 private-sector, educational and industry entities hosted exhibits throughout Boeing Center prior to the awards ceremony to engage students by showcasing their technologies and discussing future educational and career opportunities in cybersecurity and related fields.
