“A few weeks ago, on March 22nd – 24th, 2024, members from the Highline College Cybersecurity club and Women in Cybersecurity (WiCyS) Student Chapter travelled to Olympia, WA to compete in the regional portion of the National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition, know as the Pacific Rim Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition.

The Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition is what is known as a Blue Team Competition, designed to give a real-world type of experience. Each team is given the task of maintaining and defending the corporate network of an imaginary company created for the competition against professional hackers, while also providing IT support to the company’s employees.

While we had some very stiff competition, we are proud to say that this year the Highline College team placed 4th out of the 11 teams from colleges and universities from all over Washington, Oregon, and Idaho State. Overall, this was a great experience for the team. We got to practice our skills, as well as network and build relationships with other teams. We cannot wait for our next opportunity to compete.

If anyone is interested in joining or learning more about the Highline College Cybersecurity Club and Women in Cybersecurity (WiCyS) Student chapter please feel free to reach out to the clubs President Jenn Meadus (jennifermeadus@students.highline.edu). The clubs are open to all students interested in Cybersecurity, no matter your knowledge level!” -Cybersecurity Club