San Antonio, TX – November 1, 2011 – Digital Defense, Inc., a San Antonio-based corporation and leading provider of Information Security solutions and Southwest Independent School District (SWISD), an established and respected district committed to providing exemplary education to over 12,000 students in a primarily rural region of the city, are jointly announcing a partnership with the objective of further stimulating student interest in Information Security as a career path. The initiative is part of the local CyberPatriot sponsorship program spearheaded by Digital Defense.
Southwest High School (Southwest) is gearing up for the first round of CyberPatriot IV, the premiere national high school cyber defense competition created by the Air Force Association (AFA) to inspire high school students toward careers in cyber security or other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines critical to our nation’s future.
“Southwest caught the attention of Digital Defense because of their outstanding CyberPatriot program,” stated Larry Hurtado, Digital Defense president and CEO. “We have been most impressed with all aspects of the program from the leadership team of David Boggio, Director of Career and Technology Education and Arthur Celestin, CyberPatriot Coach, to the amazing students who demonstrate dedication, enthusiasm and discipline, all key ingredients for success. We look forward to supporting Southwest and cheering them on to a first place finish at CyberPatriot IV, as well as nurturing the talent and skills of these students who are the future of our industry.”
“We are proud to start such a great relationship with Digital Defense,” stated Arthur Celestin, Cyber Patriot Coach. “Since Digital Defense volunteered their help in September, their endless support has enabled the Southwest High School CyberPatriot teams to rise to a new level of excellence. In addition to providing professional training and support with weekly mentorships, Digital Defense has made a generous equipment donation of ten laptops, their accompanying cases, and a LCD projector. Since the acquisition of Digital Defense as a partner, our teams have been honored with the amazing experience of getting quality help from real industry professionals.”
San Antonio has emerged as a hub for the Information Security industry with education, government, business, and information security associations collaborating to increase awareness around cyber security policies and practices. The Mayor’s Cyber Cup, encourages local participation in the national CyberPatriot competition by rewarding the best of the area’s participating teams. Ricky Banda, a Southwest senior, was a member of the 2011 winning team. The Southwest CyberPatriot teams will be featured in an upcoming segment of WOAI’s “What’s Cool in School”.
About Southwest Independent School District
The Southwest Independent School District (SWISD) was founded in 1951 and currently includes one high school, one academy, one alternative school, three middle schools and eleven elementary schools. The mission of SWISD is to identify and develop the potential of all individuals. SWISD was a recent recipient of the San Antonio Express- News “Top Work Places 2011” award.