Career and technical education pathway at Canyon Springs High School opens doors to national recognition and career possibilities in emerging industry
After the pandemic, Jaden Wood began his first in-person year as a sophomore at Canyon Springs High School (CSHS) in the Moreno Valley Unified School District. He went to talk to his counselor about switching out of Spanish 3 into another elective class. Choosing between psychology, pottery, or cybersecurity, Jaden picked cybersecurity, thinking it would be an “easy A” and a simple computer class.
However, Jaden soon learned that cybersecurity is more complex than imagined. It involves troubleshooting computers, password and network security, data privacy, artificial intelligence (AI), and so much more. It is one of the fastest-growing job fields in the country, with a little more than 755,000 current unfilled positions with salaries starting near $70,000, with the possibility of making up to $200,000.
Jaden was introduced to a new world of technology through Donna Woods, a Career Technical Education (CTE) instructor, for the Riverside County Office of Education (RCOE), at CSHS and Moreno Valley College (MVC). She helped Jaden take advantage of the opportunities the Cyber Academic Pathway has to offer.
"Cybersecurity is a part of all of our lives, we just don't understand the depth of the impact. Like Jaden, students arrive with many unknowns about ‘cyber’ and may have concerns about the rigorous RCOE cyber courses,” Donna Woods stated. “However, it is exciting to see students' willingness to venture into the unknown and gain confidence in learning and developing new skills. So much so, that one of our course compacts is that they ‘pay it forward’ in helping others—this is when the fun really begins."
In his sophomore year, Jaden joined Donna’s Cybersecurity I class not knowing what doors would open for him. What started as trying to fulfill an elective credit, has led Jaden Wood to an exciting career pathway.
“I didn’t think I would really be into it, but I instantly fell in love with cybersecurity,” Jaden expressed.
That same year, Jaden joined the CyberPatriots team, where he got to expand his cybersecurity skills in competitions that included spending 4-6 hours trying to solve as many security challenges as possible. He participated in an externship with WorkEd, an organization that teaches valuable skills for a future career to K-12 students. During his time there, he learned more about cybersecurity from trained professionals.
Jaden applied, and was accepted, to take college-level courses during his junior and senior year of high school with the Middle College High School Program at MVC. With the support from his mentor Donna, loved ones, and his own determination, Jaden was able to see the prospects of a future career in cybersecurity before his sixteenth birthday.
In his final year of high school, Jaden was nominated by Donna for the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) K12 Cybersecurity Education Conference in Texas, where he was one of only six students from across the country to be recognized for his accomplishments throughout high school. At the conference, Jaden pledged to pursue a career in cybersecurity and later spoke on a panel with the five other students answering questions about the importance of cybersecurity, the skills he gained, and how he plans to use those skills to help others.
In Texas, Donna introduced Jaden to Ben Crenshaw, the Head of Cyber at WorkEd, and Jaden was offered a job. Jaden graduated from CSHS in 2024, with 44 college credits from MVC.
"It has been an absolute blessing to support Jaden as he has grown and developed his cybersecurity and professional skills throughout his academic and career journey.” Donna shared, “He is incredibly humble in his abilities and displays exemplary leadership in that he seeks to serve his neighbors, peers, family, and friends, in helping them become better digital citizens and improve their ‘cyber hygiene’ and cyber safety skills."
Now, at the age of 18, Jaden works as an assistant for WorkEd where he teaches professors and educators about cybersecurity and emerging technology like AI. On his days off, he returns to CSHS as a volunteer coach to help Donna and the CyberPatriots team.
“I was fortunate enough to have these opportunities that got me where I am, and I want to give other students the same opportunities I had,” said Jaden Wood, “I am trying to foster that next generation because cybersecurity isn’t just a career, it’s a lifestyle.”
Today, Jaden is finishing his associate’s degree at MVC in the fall of 2025 and will be attending California State University, San Bernardino, starting in the fall of 2025, as an Information and Technology major with a concentration in Cybersecurity.
“The field of cybersecurity impacts literally every other career sector, and that’s the reason we see such an incredible demand for cybersecurity specialists both nationally and globally,” Donna explains. “The Cybersecurity Career Pathway provides a plethora of opportunities for students of diversified aptitudes and skill sets to be engaged and successful.”
In the future, Jaden hopes to become a penetrator tester, someone who improves security systems by trying to break into them, which he referred to as the “Navy Seals of cybersecurity.”
“There are so many different niches and fits,” Jaden explained, “it is like one big tree of possibilities.”
Jaden recognizes that cybersecurity can be “daunting” but encourages students to dream big, work hard, and look into cybersecurity as a future career.
“I think anyone going into cybersecurity should have a growth mindset. When you’re learning, you will feel dumb because you're making yourself smarter,” Jaden shared.
Ultimately, Jaden wants to work in a field he loves by opening his own cybersecurity business, working for the White House, and continuing to inspire others.
His mentor wholeheartedly agrees.
“I have no doubt that Jaden will serve as a national leader in the field.”
