Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1316347
F O R E I G N C O U N T R I E S I N F L U E N C I N G our elections. Ransomware attacks on hospitals. School districts hacked and confidential records leaked. Identity theft ruining credit and reputations. These are just some of the problems caused by increas- ingly sophisticated cyber criminals. Research shows that a cyberattack occurs every 39 seconds in the U.S. To combat this trend, teacher Donna Woods co-authored a cybersecurity education pathway program in the Moreno Valley Unified School District six years ago. In May, she was honored with the Presidential Cybersecurity Education Award for her work in that program. Woods works in the career technical edu- cation (CTE) department of her district and has been a teacher at Canyon Springs High School for 20 years. In addition to co-creating the Cyber Academic Pathway program, she authored "a-g" curriculum for the Cyberse- curity Levels 1 and 2 courses she teaches. Together with a team of cybersecurity instruc- tors and industry mentors, Woods also leads award-winning CyberPatriot teams, which compete nationally in challenges against other schools to secure virtual networks. "Cybersecurity is my passion," says Woods, a member of the Riverside County Office Teachers Association. " The field is so excit- ing. It impacts every aspect of technology, from our phones and smart technology home devices to our national grid. There is so much to learn." The Department of Homeland Security defines cybersecurity as "the art of pro- tecting networks, devices, and data from unauthorized access or criminal use and the practice of ensuring confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information." "Cybersecurity impacts every aspect of technology, from our phones and smart technology home devices to our national grid." The Cyberspace Warrior Donna Woods leads student learning in protecting our networks, devices and data Cybersecurity pays well and is one of the fastest-growing fields in the world, with more than 500,000 unfilled jobs in the U.S. Students are discovering it is a viable and fulfilling career path. "I thought computers were mostly for playing games," says Fabio Cornejo, a Canyon Springs graduate now at CSU San Bernardino. "But I joined the CyberPatriot Club in my soph- omore year, and things changed. My plan is to be in charge of cybersecurity for a private company. I can't picture myself doing anything else." Amiyah Breeding is a cadet at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. She credits Woods with helping her land there. " The Air Force's mission is to fly, fight and win in both airspace and cyberspace," says Breeding. "So a basic knowl- edge of cybersecurity is very important to that mission." Over the past five years, the Cyber Aca- demic Pathway has expanded from two high schools to five middle schools in the district, serving grades 6-12. The pathway is a recog- nized CompTIA Partnership Academy (tech association CompTIA offers certification pro- grams, networking and skills development) and is aligned with framework standards of the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Edu- cation (NICE), a partnership of government, academia and the private sector. Palo Alto Networks, Cyber.org, synED, and ConvergeOne are strategic industry partners that develop and support the pre-apprenticeship and work- based learning programs. Pathway courses are aligned with the Riverside Community College District via articulation and dual enrollment, so students can transfer into higher-level courses and get college credit for high school classes. During the pandemic, pathway instruc- tors, along with synED, hosted online cyber camps for 400 students from nine states and three countries, and provided summer workshops to 127 teachers. The program also hosted online Girl Scout Cyber Camps Donna Woods CHAPTER Riverside County Office Teachers Association POSITION High school cybersecurity teacher Donna Woods 24 cta.org the Innovation Issue