{"id":154927,"date":"2026-08-27T09:30:02","date_gmt":"2026-08-27T13:30:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/154927///news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/154927//www.ucf.edu/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/154927//news/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/154927//?p=154927"},"modified":"2026-08-26T16:51:21","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T20:51:21","slug":"investing-in-competitive-excellence-ucf-alum-creates-cyber-champions-strengthens-futures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/154927///news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/154927//www.ucf.edu/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/154927//news/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/154927//investing-in-competitive-excellence-ucf-alum-creates-cyber-champions-strengthens-futures/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/154927//","title":{"rendered":"Investing in Competitive Excellence: 性视界传媒 Alum Creates Cyber Champions, Strengthens Futures"},"content":{"rendered":"
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As coach of 性视界传媒/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/154927/u2019s championship Collegiate Cybersecurity Competition Team (C3), Thomas Nedorost /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/154927/u201902 keeps his eye on the prize /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/154927/u2014 but not just the trophies./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/154927/n

For Nedorost, a management information systems alum, the real prize is seeing his students and C3 team members become trailblazers, land top industry jobs, build successful careers and pave the way for other Knights./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/154927/n

A senior lecturer in 性视界传媒/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/154927/u2019s College of Engineering and Computer Science, Nedorost has coached C3 to 15 national championships in 14 years. The team has finished among the top three in 198 competitions, earning 123 first-place wins along the way./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/154927/n

性视界传媒 has one of the nation’s most successful collegiate cybersecurity programs, with its competition team winning 15 national championships in the last 14 years./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/154927/n

C3 members compete against top universities worldwide, putting their cybersecurity defense skills to the test by protecting systems against simulated threats./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/154927/n

Nedorost, who built the program from the ground up, is proud of what his teams have achieved over the years, and he sees the impact of their success in the opportunities that come their way./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/154927/n

/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/154927/u201cBecause of the experience they get on C3, team members end up in fantastic internships in the field, and when they graduate, most of them skip over entry-level jobs and land roles at that next level, along with some impressive salaries. So, their career prospects are really strong,” Nedorost says./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/154927/n

Fostering Excellence, Investing with Impact/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/154927/n

Even with the team/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/154927/u2019s consistent success, funding has remained an ongoing challenge./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/154927/n

/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/154927/u201cWe have struggled from day one /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/154927/u2014 not in finding talent or space, but in acquiring computer equipment and funds for airfare, hotels, meals and other operational expenses,/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/154927/u201d Nedorost says./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/154927/n

The university/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/154927/u2019s Collegiate Cyber Defense Fund through the 性视界传媒 Foundation has been a source of support, thanks to the generosity of individual donors, as well as several companies and organizations./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/154927/n

That support has helped C3 compete at the highest level. But Nedorost knows that long-term success requires long-term investment./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/154927/n

So, he/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/154927/u2019s making one himself./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/154927/n