NECC Graduate Steve Issa

Northern Essex Community College graduate Steve Issa of Haverhill recently competed in the Cyber Aces state championship competition at UMass Boston.

Cyber Aces is an online, national security certification and competition program. As one of the top seven students in the program, Issa was selected to compete in the state championship. The goal of the program is to provide more information, training, education, resources and opportunities to those interested in the security field.

Participants at the championship compete in NetWars, a hands-on, interactive learning environment with a focus on the skills information that security professionals use in their jobs every day. NetWars covers topics including system hardening, packet analysis, digital forensics, and vulnerability assessment. NetWars also includes basic levels that enable young people to demonstrate the aptitude to excel and provides them with a real-world environment to demonstrate their skills. 

Issa received his Associate Degree in Information Technology in 2013 from NECC, as well as Certificates in Computer Networking and Computer Security. He currently works as an I.T. helpdesk administrator at Fidelis Hospice in Haverhill.

Issa was very excited to have been selected for this program. “This program reinforced things I learned at NECC while also teaching me new things,” Issa said.  He went on to say that “I practiced and prepared for months for this and was grateful for the opportunity to meet notable figures in the security field. It was a great opportunity to meet potential future employers and to talk to schools with established security programs in hopes to continue my education.”

Northern Essex offers three associate degrees and seven certificates in computer science that prepare students for transfer to a four-year college or university and/or immediate employment. Computer & Information Sciences Associate Degrees include Applications, Computer Science Transfer or Information Technology.  Certificates include Computer Applications, Computer Forensics Basic, Computer Networking, Computer Security, Help Desk, Information Technology Fluency, and Web Design.