Adjunct instructor wins $22K scholarship for cyber certifications

Jacob Elliott, an Information Technology Services software developer and adjunct instructor of computer science at the University of North Georgia (UNG), won a $22,000 scholarship from the SANS Institute to earn three industry-recognized cybersecurity certifications.

"It's really meaningful because I've been doing a lot of work with our cybersecurity students and the CyberHawks student club," Elliott said. "This will allow me to pass more cyber knowledge on to my students."

His win this spring in the Cyber FastTrack capture-the-flag cybersecurity competition made Elliott eligible for the scholarship. He was so committed to positioning himself for the scholarship that he took two days of vacation and didn't sleep for 48 hours to earn the Cyber FastTrack victory.

Elliott earned a bachelor's degree in computer science from UNG in 2010 and completed a master's degree in computer science from Georgia Tech in December 2019. He coaches the cyber team for UNG's CyberHawks, which helped UNG win the NSA Codebreaker Challenge in January.

"This is a well-earned opportunity for Jacob that will further enhance his cyber skills," said Dr. Bryson Payne, professor of computer science and director of UNG's Center for Cyber Operations Education. "We're thrilled to have him mentoring our defending champion NSA Codebreakers again this semester, plus the National Cyber Exercise team and the Corps of Cadets cyber unit."