Central Valley High School students on their way to SkillsUSA National Cybersecurity Championship

Next month, Central Valley seniors Lilian Miller and Quan Do will be in Atlanta, competing in the SkillsUSA National Cybersecurity Championship. It will be a return visit for the pair after placing eighth in last year’s competition.

SkillsUSA is a career and technical organization serving more than 395,000 high school, college, and middle school students and professional members enrolled in training programs in trade, technical and skilled service occupations.

The pairs’ return to nationals following back-to-back state wins comes as no surprise to teacher Joe Pauley.

“Their work is on par with a second- or even third-year college student,” he said. “This is remarkable. It’s also why they are winning competitions.”

Pauley teaches first-year cybersecurity and advanced cybersecurity. The first-year cybersecurity class introduces students to security principles, networking concepts and vulnerability assessment.

“This is a hands-on class. Students use industry tools and practices to understand how threat actors (hackers) attempt to compromise systems so that they, in turn, can better protect those systems,” Pauley said. “Students earn college credits and have the opportunity to become Cisco certified in cybersecurity.”

Do and Miller have earned their Cisco Certified Support Technician Networking certificates.

Miller said she didn’t know much about cybersecurity before taking the classes.

“I was just interested in technology,” she said.

The opportunity to enter competitions got her hooked.

“It’s fun!” Miller said.

For the SkillsUSA competitions, students worked in pairs. Miller found a natural partner in her cousin Quan Do. They aren’t the only family members who excel at these events – Miller’s twin sister Vivian placed second in state with her partner Lucy He this year.

Do explained why the contests feature two-person teams.

“It’s like driving a car,” he said. “One person takes the wheel and the other reads the map.”

Miller nodded.

“It’s divide and conquer.”

The students play off each other’s strengths.

“At the state SkillsUSA Championship, the CV team competed in hands-on challenges including system hardening, malware removal, network forensics, cryptography, programming and exploitation,” Pauley said. “They worked together to solve real-world challenges.”

Their experience at last year’s SkillsUSA National competition gave them valuable experience, even though the tasks they must complete this year will likely be different.

“Our knowledge of network security has grown in the past year,” Miller said. “In tech generally, it’s important to know how to troubleshoot.”

In Atlanta, teams will move from station to station in one-hour increments during a full day of competition.

“It gets your adrenaline going,” she said. “It’s exciting to be able to apply what you’ve learned. Mr. Pauley does a great job of creating real-world challenges in class.”

Do enjoys tackling the network challenges on the national stage and at home.

“I’m basically the network administrator at home,” he said. “I like problem-solving.”

Both see tech careers in their futures. Miller will continue her cybersecurity studies at Western Washington University this fall, and Do will attend Eastern Washington University to study computer science and cybersecurity.

Though they compete at the national level in cybersecurity contests, they do have other interests.

Both enjoy video games, but Do is part of the track team and Miller plays tennis.

“I also love “Dr. Who” and I’m a huge Rush fan!” she said.

Miller is leaving a lasting legacy at CV. She, her sister Vivian, and Lucy He founded the Sisters in STEM club to create a community for girls where they feel included, welcome and supported in the STEM world.

She said women are still in the minority in the tech industry.

Pauley has enjoyed his time with these students.

“Their insatiable passion for learning stands out,” he said. “It inspires me to keep up with my own learning.”

Do and Miller hope to improve on last year’s eighth-place finish at the SkillsUSA Nationals. They also want to make the most of their time mingling with the best and brightest in the cybersecurity field.

“It’s our last year,” Miller said. “We want to enjoy our experience while maintaining our competitive edge.”