Eighth-grade student Mehal Singh and seventh-grade student Norah Kumar started a CyberPatriot team and found friends to complete their squad. CyberPatriot is a STEM program put on by the Air & Space Forces Association and it tasks teams with solving complex cybersecurity problems as IT professionals at a small company.
The team started their journey in August, practicing and building bonds with each other. After competing in four rounds, the Plymouth Scholars team was one of only three teams in the middle school division to qualify for the CyberPatriot National Finals.
While it wasn’t the easiest journey, Kumar said it was one of the best feelings when the team qualified because she knew all the hard work paid off. The squad used Moral Focus™, and perseverance, in particular, to overcome challenges and make it to Nationals.
“Communicating as a team was hard in the beginning of the year because we didn’t know each other that well,” Kumar said. “Eventually, we got the hang of it and grew really close.”
The team finished third in the middle school division and third in the middle school Cisco Networking Challenge. While they didn’t come home with a first-place trophy, Singh said he was proud of his team for making it to Nationals, which was a goal they set for themselves.
“I’m really proud because out of the 1,000+ teams, we were one of three to make it to the finals,” Singh said. “In the beginning, almost none of us knew anything about cybersecurity. We were struggling hard. But we were dedicated to making finals, so we kept practicing and practicing until we made it. I’m really proud of that.”
Participating in CyberPatriot not only developed these students’ cybersecurity skills, it also helped them grow different life skills. Singh and Kumar both said that their communication skills blossomed, and they made friends during the process as well.
With this combination of unique opportunity, Moral Focus™, and determined students, it’s no wonder Plymouth Scholars was recognized as a 2025 Michigan Blue Ribbon school.
Congratulations, Mehal, Norah, and your entire team! Keep up the great work!
About Plymouth Scholars
Plymouth Scholars is a tuition-free, public charter school in Plymouth, Michigan, serving students in Young 5s through eighth grade. It is part of the National Heritage Academies (NHA®) network, which includes more than 100 tuition-free, public charter schools serving more than 65,000 students in kindergarten through high school across nine states. For more information, visit nhaschools.com.
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