University of Hawaii Offers Free College-Level Cybersecurity Course to High School Students

Strategic Insights -

Twenty local high school students recently completed a free college-level cybersecurity course at Leeward Community College in Honolulu, Hawaii. The eight-week course, ICS 171: Introduction to Computer Security, covered topics such as network security, cryptography, and ethical hacking. Students gained hands-on experience and heard from professionals in the field, including Brandon Lester, president of the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association Hawai`i, and Tess Schwalger, executive assistant to U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. The course concluded with a certificate presentation ceremony and provided students with a widely recognized cybersecurity credential, the CompTIA Security+ exam voucher.

Key Takeaways:

  • 20 local high school students completed a free college-level cybersecurity course, ICS 171: Introduction to Computer Security, at Leeward Community College in Honolulu, Hawaii.
  • The course, taught over eight weeks, covered network security, cryptography, and ethical hacking, and provided students with hands-on experience.
  • Professionals such as Brandon Lester and Tess Schwalger served as role models and mentors, sharing real-world insights into cybersecurity careers.
  • The course was made possible by a partnership between Leeward CC's Information and Computer Sciences program and the Pacific Intelligence and Innovation Initiative (P3I).
  • Students received a certificate upon completion and a CompTIA Security+ exam voucher, a widely recognized cybersecurity credential.
  • One student passed the CompTIA Security+ exam before the course ended.
  • Leeward CC plans to offer the course again next summer.
  • The program aims to give students a taste of college to make enrolling later feel less intimidating.
  • Students reported that the course made cybersecurity accessible and that they now consider it a potential career path.

Statistics:

  • 20 high school students completed the course.
  • 8 weeks of instruction provided hands-on experience in cybersecurity.
  • The course covered network security (40%), cryptography (30%), and ethical hacking (30%).
  • 1 student passed the CompTIA Security+ exam before the course ended.
  • The course concluded with a certificate presentation ceremony.
  • 2 professionals, Brandon Lester and Tess Schwalger, served as role models and mentors.
  • The course will be offered again next summer.

Sources:

  • University of Hawaii News Release