Junior at Upper St. Clair High School named National Cyber Scholar
An Upper St. Clair High School junior has been named a National Cyber Scholar in the recent National Cyber Scholarship Competition.
Sambhav Saggi earned a $2,500 scholarship and the opportunity to participate in the Cyber Foundations Academy, a multiweek online program based on the nationally recognized SysAdmin, Audit, Network and Security (SANS) Foundations training course and certification.
Saggi competed against 5,000 high school students in a cybersecurity competition designed to challenge its participants to solve computer security problems and capture and defend computer systems. In total, 50,000 students nationwide sought to qualify for the NCSC, with just 10% meeting the requirements.
“The National Cyber Scholarship Competition recognizes high school students who have demonstrated exceptional cybersecurity prowess and who wish to pursue a career in a growing field in critical need of their talent,” said David Brown, executive director, National Cyber Scholarship Foundation. “The NCSF mission is to identify and develop the next generation of cyber professionals. Each and every student who participated in this competition has the potential to develop their skills and build a successful career in cybersecurity.”
The competition, which is open to high school students age 13 and older, awards 570 college scholarships to the top-performing students. Thirty scholars with honors receive $3,000 scholarships and 540 Scholars earn $2,500 scholarships to pursue cybersecurity training at any U.S. college or university. Saggi is one of 17 National Cyber Scholars in Pennsylvania.
In addition to being named a National Cyber Scholar, Saggi has participated in the Pennsylvania FIRST Tech Challenge robotics competition and is a student leader of Upper St. Clair High School’s computer club. He was recently inducted in the National Honor Society.