Episode Details

Anthony Godfrey:
When you are working on cyber security issues, do you kind of imagine an enemy like someone who's trying to get in.

Levi Hansen:
Yeah, it's a bit like that. It's kind of like a Tower Defense game where I'm like setting up my defenses for enemies coming in.

Mark Ogden:
The students are learning how to do hacking so that then they know how to better protect against that.

Khanon Curtis:
They're my favorite classes I have that I'm taking. And especially even out of school and after class, I love to do things that we do in this class.

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. They are students learning to fight crime on the web and make it a safer place for everyone.

On this episode of the Supercast, we take you inside a classroom at JATC North, where students are enrolled in a brand new cyber security course. Find out how they are learning things like digital forensics, which can take them down career paths as digital detectives, working at local businesses, in education, and even exploring opportunities with the Department of Defense.

We're at JATC North today talking with Mark Ogden about the cyber security program here at JATC. Thanks for talking with us.

Mark Ogden:
Yeah, my pleasure. I'm excited for you guys to come and learn about what we're doing here.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell us about this program. It's pretty new and I believe you're pretty new.

Mark Ogden:
Yeah, this is the first year of the program. I worked out in industry in doing cyber security, designing solutions for companies all around the world, and decided to switch into teaching four years ago, right in the middle of the pandemic. I taught at Hidden Valley for four years in their engineering and computer science departments and then it's my first year here at the JATC and I love it. It's great.

The cyber security program, it's really an umbrella that encompasses a lot of things. So we talk about installing operating systems, patching them, building computer networks, as well as firewalls, and all the solutions to try to keep organizations safe.

Anthony Godfrey:
So this is the hub. It kind of smells electronic in here with the server fan. So we've got a couple of students here as well. Tell us your names and what drew you to the program.

Khanon Curtis:
I'm Khanon Curtis and I came to this program because my dad is a cybersecurity engineer and I wanted to learn more about his job to see if it would be a career pathway for me.

Anthony Godfrey:
And what do you think about it so far?

Khanon Curtis:
I love it. It's one of my favorite things to do and I look forward to coming here every day.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's awesome. How about you?

Levi Hansen:
I'm Levi Hansen and I came here because I have a general interest in technology and I just wanted to get into cyber security and learn more about computers and hopefully find a career in it eventually.

Anthony Godfrey:
So as you've explored it this year and started to learn more, is it indeed a career that you still want to pursue?

Levi Hansen:
100%.

Anthony Godfrey:
Awesome. That's great. I already feel safer. So tell us about some of the classes that are involved in the cyb