Bryson Payne

As a first-generation student from Fannin County, Dr. Bryson Payne knows the impact higher education can have on a person.

"I graduated high school with 103 people, and I made it through to earn a Ph.D.," Payne said. "I've always said if a university opened in Blue Ridge, I would move back and teach there someday. Now that UNG is there, I think by the time that I'm ready to retire, I will get to teach computer classes to students on the new campus in Fannin County."

The professor of computer science in the Mike Cottrell College of Business at the University of North Georgia (UNG) has already made strides toward that goal, as he begins his 23rd year teaching computer science and cybersecurity courses in the state. Since 2016, he has taught high school students from across the country in the GenCyber Warrior Academy. In summer 2019, two grants allowed Payne to expand cyber instruction to include high school students in Ellijay, Georgia, and Gainesville, Georgia.

Upward Bound is a federally funded program designed to help promising low-income, first-generation high school students be successful in college. GenCyber Warrior Academy exposes students to the evolving technological industry with varied employment opportunities.

"In rural areas, we need students to see what cybersecurity is and to know they have what it takes," Payne said. "Plus, it is a fun college major and excellent way to make a living."

Payne is an ideal cybersecurity educator. Along with his position as coordinator of student cyber programs at UNG, Payne has real-world programming experience and certifications.

In fall 2019, Payne earned the Global Information Assurance Certification (GIAC) in Reverse Engineering Malware (GREM). Only 4,360 cyber professionals in the world hold this certification. He also holds the GIAC Certified Penetration Tester (GPEN) certification, and about 9,031 professionals have it.

"The hands-on training has helped me educate our future cyber leaders and prepare our Cyber Operations competition teams for contests like the NSA Codebreaker Challenge, NSA Cyber Exercise (NCX), and other capture-the-flag events," Payne said.

He is especially proud of UNG’s first-place finish in the 2019 NSA Codebreaker Challenge, beating 531 other college teams for the top spot in the nation.

In February 2020, Payne was honored for preparing cadets for cybersecurity careers when he was inducted into the Order of Thor. The honor recognizes excellence in and special contributions to the American military cyber community.

Payne also shared his computer science insights with parents and their young children in his book, "Teach Your Kids to Code." He also has a new book for future cyber heroes coming out this fall, “Hacking for Kids.”