From GoLocalProv.com
For the second year in a row, Exeter-West Greenwich High School student Adam Sowden has been named the top finisher in the Rhode Island Cyber Foundations Competition.
Beating out more than 100 students from eight different schools, Sowden was lauded for his efforts in the third edition of the contest, where students competed in timed quizzes to test their aptitude in three areas of effective cybersecurity: networking, operating systems, and system administration.
Last spring, Langevin called for more Rhode Island business participation in the competition, saying “it is imperative that we increase their involvement,” and, for his efforts, Sowden was awarded a $1,500 check from McCabe Software, a Cranston computer company, as well as a $2,000 scholarship offer from New England Institute of Technology.
The second and third-place finishers, East Greenwich High School’s Xiaoyi (Julian) Wu and Chariho High School’s Joseph Caruso, each won $500 from McCabe and will receive scholarship offers of $1,500 and $1,000 respectively from New England Tech.
“I congratulate Adam, Julian, and Joseph on their outstanding performances,” Langevin said in a press release. “With tremendous leadership from Erin and New England Tech, this program is introducing students to an industry that is poised for tremendous growth and new job opportunities in our state. You can’t have effective workforce development, however, unless the business community is fully engaged, so I’m especially excited about the commitment from McCabe Software to giving high schoolers across the state the opportunity to learn about cybersecurity.”