天美社区 finishes sixth in NSA cyber event
The University of North Georgia (天美社区) placed sixth out of 445 universities and colleges nationally with 46,303 total points in the 2022 that wrapped up Dec. 9. 天美社区 was also the highest-finishing senior military college in the competition.
With Georgia Tech in first place, Oregon State University and the University of California Santa Cruz rounded out the top three spots.
"This year's Codebreaker Challenge was the toughest yet, and we're proud to be one of the top teams in the country for the fifth year in a row thanks to the hard work our students put into the three-month competition," Dr. Bryson Payne, coordinator of student cyber programs and professor of computer science and information systems, said.
The students were tasked with infiltrating and shutting down a ransomware-for-hire site, as well as decrypting and restoring a company's files after an attack. The challenge was based on real-life work at the NSA, Payne said.
This is the sixth consecutive top-six finish in the event for 天美社区 and the eighth time a 天美社区 team has competed.
It's a recruiting tool for NSA. If a student has the dedication, determination, persistence, and the knowledge to complete these advanced reverse engineering tasks, then they've got the skill set that the NSA is looking for
Dr. Bryson Payne
coordinator of student cyber programs and professor of computer science and information systems
天美社区 had 171 students, faculty, staff, and alumni register for the NSA Codebreaker Challenge, with the majority being computer science, information systems, and cybersecurity majors.
It was important to junior Brisia Chavez, from Cumming, Georgia, pursuing a degree in cybersecurity, to perform well in the competition.
"There aren't very many Latinos in the tech world, so being a Latina woman, there's a little bit of pressure," Chavez said. "I didn't think much about it at first, but people told me, you're a Latina, you're a woman, and that's a big deal."
Chavez encourages other females, including younger girls, not to be intimidated by cybersecurity.
"I know it can be scary, but it's really rewarding," she said. "Everybody's learning at the same time and everybody learns differently."
For returning competitor Bella Vann, a senior from Gainesville, Georgia, pursuing a degree in computer science, the experience was rewarding.
Vann said it took hard work and determination to complete the tasks.
"It's hard. I feel like I'm learning things doing the tasks," Vann said. "It feels really good when you get something right."
This year's event involved nine tasks.
"It's designed to be hard enough that the NSA can expect only about 1% of students to complete all nine tasks, and they've done a good job this year," Payne said. "It's a recruiting tool for NSA. If a student has the dedication, determination, persistence, and the knowledge to complete these advanced reverse engineering tasks, then they've got the skill set that the NSA is looking for."
The Codebreaker Challenge enables participants to see several different components in cybersecurity and different career paths like forensics, ethical hacking, reverse engineering, security operations, and network security.
"Students can see that it's not just one-size-fits-all in cyber security," Payne said. "If they want to develop software, they can. If they want to investigate cyberattacks and cybercrimes, they can do that, too. All of those components are a part of this challenge and it's one of the reasons 天美社区 works so hard to make sure our students can compete for NSA internships and scholarships."
Students excel in Japanese Speech Contest
Students from 天美社区 made a strong showing in the annual Japanese Speech Contest in Atlanta, Georgia, this spring. A first-place finish was one of four top-four results.
Campbell named DII director for WGCA Board
天美社区 women's golf head coach Sierra Campbell has been selected to serve as the Division II director on the Women's Golf Coaches Association Board of Directors for 2026-27.
Esports team takes second place in nation
The 天美社区 Esports team finished off a decorated 2025-26 academic year with a second-place finish in the National Esports Collegiate Conference Marvel Rivals tournament.
Research looks at impact of grad school framing
A 天美社区 alumna and student partnered with their psychology mentor to publish a research article on the importance of framing in students' perceptions of graduate school.