U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced this week that Donna Woods, the Career Technical Education Cyber Pathway Instructor, at Moreno Valley Unified School District, has been selected as one of two national inaugural Presidential Cybersecurity Education Award recipients. This award recognizes Ms. Woods, of Canyon Springs High School, for instilling in her students the skills, knowledge, and passion for cybersecurity. Ms. Woods was nominated for the honor by synED, a non-profit organization that identifies emerging best practices for effective articulation between employers, jobseekers and education providers
“Cybersecurity is one of the fastest growing fields in the world. This award recognizes great teachers who are helping prepare our students to fill those jobs and help keep our nation safe now, and in the future,” said U.S. Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos.
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Ms. Woods has fostered pathways to success for students by guiding the creation of career and technical education programs with emphasis on cybersecurity, which include real-world training such as internships and apprenticeships alongside classroom instruction. Throughout Ms. Woods’ five years in the Moreno Valley Unified School District’s Cyber Academic Pathway, 97.4% of students have achieved industry certifications. She has also led award-winning CyberPatriot teams, which compete in challenges to secure virtual networks.
Ms. Woods credits California’s collaborative approach to cybersecurity for the successes of her students. “The key to our success is synergy across the state. It is about breaking down silos and ensuring students, regardless of their zip code, have the tools they need to learn and build their cyber skills,” said Ms. Woods. “Thanks to the leadership at my District and partnership with synED, I’ve had the ability to work alongside industry leaders at CompTIA, Palo Alto Networks and Amazon Web Services to mentor and train my students.”
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