When I first stepped into the US Cyber Challenge, I was just a student with ambition and a dream. That one opportunity changed everything. It wasn’t just technical skills they gave me. It was belief. It was community. It was a vision for what I could become — and how I could give back.

Since graduating from the original USCC cohort, I’ve built a thriving cybersecurity consulting firm, where we help businesses defend themselves in an increasingly dangerous digital landscape. I returned to the Challenge as a teaching assistant whenever I could — because this program deserves to be more than a one-time experience. It deserves to be a lifelong movement. Today, I’m also a part-time professor at a four-year university, passing on critical skills and passion to the next generation. I mentor students across the educational spectrum — from sixth graders just discovering cybersecurity to college students preparing to enter the field. I organize successful security conferences. I speak on national stages. I drive conversations that move our industry forward. And it all started with the seed that the US Cyber Challenge planted.

In a time when cybersecurity threats grow more sophisticated by the day, the greatest risk we face isn't just the hackers outside — it’s the shortage of defenders inside. Sponsoring the US Cyber Challenge isn’t just a donation. It’s not charity. It’s leadership. It’s vision. It's how we build the army of talent that will protect our future — our companies, our families, and our nation. Every great cybersecurity leader has a story. Mine started with USCC. And there are thousands more waiting for their chance.

Let’s give it to them.