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Governor Ige and the Cybersecurity Manager for Hawaii's Department of Defense Reynold Hioki Named Winners of the SANS Institute's 2017 Difference Makers AwardsBETHESDA, Md., Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- SANS Institute today announced Governor Ige and the Cybersecurity Manager for Hawaii's Department of Defense Reynold Hioki have been named among the winners of the 2017 SANS Difference Makers Award. The Difference Maker Awards were created to honor the unsung heroes in cyber security whose innovation, skill, and hard work have resulted in real successes in information security. "The cybersecurity talent among Hawaiian students is impressive. Reynold Hioki and the leadership of Cyber Hawaii did a spectacular job at giving students in Hawaii a chance to discover their talent – in some cases their hidden talents. Kudos," said Alan Paller, National Program Manager, U.S. CyberStart and Director of Research, SANS Institute. Governor Ige was recognized for his efforts help find, motivate, and develop the state's next generation of cyber security talent by bringing the CyberStart pilot program to students in Hawaii. CyberStart is a forward-thinking skills program designed to inspire the next generation of cyber security professionals while identifying talented young Americans. In addition to providing a unique learning opportunity and scholarships for students, the program can lead to job growth and improved cyber security in Hawaii. The CyberStart pilot program was managed by Mr. Hioki with help from Arnold Kishi and IT and security leaders at the University of Hawaii. In just two weeks the team signed up 317 Hawaii students. Of the nearly 3300 students competing from seven states, eight Hawaii high school and college students were in the overall top 50 nationally; 22 Hawaiian students won scholarships for more advanced education in cybersecurity. Hawaii had a far larger number of high scorers and scholarship winners on a per capita basis than any of the other states. Participant Nicholas Shaw, a junior at Mililani High School sent a note to Governor Ige saying, "I would like to thank the Governor who sponsors the CyberStart program. After this past month I can truly say that my skillset and grasp of a wide amount of the topics covered and tested in the competition has expanded. The program has given me a platform to jump from and compete in future CTFs. I insist that you all continue to sponsor and improve this competition so that many others like myself can be inspired and feel confident in exploring the deeper realms of cyber security." To learn more about the SANS Difference Makers Awards, visit: www.sans.org/cyber-innovation-awards About SANS Institute
SOURCE SANS Institute |