Mission High School junior, Armando Villarreal-Tamayo knew since grade school that computers would be something that would be in his future. His fascination with watching hackers at work in different films and television was what piqued his interest. It wasn’t until he immersed himself in the subject that he became more familiar with a computer professional’s responsibilities.
Villarreal is currently taking courses at South Texas College (STC) where he is learning new techniques ranging from computer networking to combating cyber threats. All of the knowledge and skills he is obtaining are part of one of the newest programs being offered to Mission CISD high school students seeking to have a career in Cybersecurity.
“Personally, I really enjoy the course,” Villarreal said. “This is something I have been into since I was in elementary school, especially the cybersecurity aspect of it, and so I entered computer science in high school and learned about coding but to be honest I didn’t like it. I found out about this program and I jumped at the chance because I am really interested in a career in cybersecurity which I think is a fascinating topic.”
Villarreal is part of the newest cohort in Dual Credit Cybersecurity Program that that began in 2019. He is into his second semester and is currently taking Intro to Security and Fundamentals of Networking. He will be receiving his certificate in Cybersecurity when he graduates high school in May of 2021.
The plans for Villarreal’s future are pretty clear, he plans to obtain his associate’s degree at STC and then he will transfer to the University of Texas- San Antonio for his bachelor’s degree. Villarreal is taking advantage of the newest opportunity that was made available in Cybersecurity that was offered through the Career and Technical Education department and their collaboration with higher education partners.