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Home / Academy News / Capturing Victory: The CGA Cyber Team

Cyber Team BSides NYC Competition

CGA Cyber Team | October 24, 2024

CGA Cyber Team in New York City

Fresh off their victory at BSidesCT Capture the Flag Competition, the CGA Cyber Team claimed a 2nd place finish at this year’s BSides regional competition. Held in New York City on October 19, BSides is an annual cyber conference where cyber professionals compete and network.   CGA fielded one Team of 14 members and took 2nd place out of over 70 in-person teams, beating many professional ones.

Attendees included:

  • LT Richard Williams (Coach)
  • 1/c Connor Fulbright (Captain)
  • 1/c Josh West
  • 1/c Torin Kearney
  • 2/c Mathew Condon
  • 3/c Max Eisenbeiser
  • 3/c Ashley Boley
  • 3/c Trent Fulbright
  • 3/c Matthew Geminden
  • 3/c Alex Smith
  • 3/c Erick Acevedo
  • 4/c Cameron Evans
  • 4/c William Beeman
  • 4/c Dylan Russin
  • 4/c Danielle Jensen

The competition was challenging, with each Team member taking away something from the experience. Returning members faced new concepts, while newcomers worked together to complete various challenges.

“This competition was a valuable experience for everyone on the Team. The challenges were a bit tougher than usual. In the end, everyone contributed to our overall success, and I couldn’t be prouder of them,” said 2/c Matthew Condon.

4/c Danielle Jensen, a newcomer to the Team, was able to apply the skills she has learned to a real completion.

“I’ve never done anything with computers before and it was pretty cool to be able to go into a competition, score some points, and find information in a way I never would have been able to before. It was also cool to get to work with everyone and see the Team’s hard work pay off,” said Jensen.

Sponsor Family Application

Thank you for submitting your application to be part of the Sponsor Family Program. Your application will be processed in the upcoming week. Coast Guard Academy’s policy on background screening now requires all adults (everyone 18 and older living in the home) who volunteer to mentor, teach, coach or sponsor cadets, whether on or off Coast Guard Academy grounds, to be screened every 5 years. They are required to provide personal information (name, birth date and social security number) for the purpose of conducting a criminal background check.

The Security Officer at the Coast Guard Academy, CWO2 Gina Polkowski, is overseeing this process. Her email is: Gina.M.Polkowski@uscg.mil.

Sponsor Family designations fall into several different categories. Below are the guidelines to help you determine how best to meet the background screening requirement:

  1. If you are Coast Guard active duty you do not need to apply for an additional Background Check. You will be vetted through the Coast Guard system by CWO2 Polkowski.
  2. If you are a Civilian working for the Coast Guard you do not need to apply for an additional Background Check. You will be vetted through the Coast Guard system by CWO2 Polkowski.
  3. If you are non-Coast Guard Active Duty, you are required to provide proof of your current security clearance or National Agency Check that is to be emailed by your Command Security Officer (CSO)/ Security Office to CWO2 Polkowski at  Gina.M.Polkowski@uscg.mil.
  4. If you are non-Coast Guard civilian who has a current security clearance or National Agency check, you are required to provide proof of your current security clearance or National Agency Check that is to be emailed by your Command Security Officer (CSO)/ Security Office to CWO2 Polkowski at  Gina.M.Polkowski@uscg.mil.
  5. All civilians in the families who are 18 years or older and do not have a security clearance or a National Agency Check are required to be vetted through Mind Your Business, the third party vendor hired by the Coast Guard Academy for the vetting process.

After you complete your application, please e-mail the Sponsor Family Program Coordinator at CadetFamilySponsorProgram@uscga.edu. In your e-mail, you must include the e-mail address and phone number of every adult living in the home. The Sponsor Family Coordinator will then initiate the background check process and you will receive an email with further instructions.

Important things to note:

There is a Sponsor Family Training that is a one-hour training which we ask sponsors to attend once every four years. This training is designed to give you an overview of the program, what is expected of you as a sponsor, and what you can expect from your cadets. This training will also help familiarize you with the cadet regulations onboard CGA. You will be notified via e-mail once the training is scheduled.

The matching process of swabs to families will occur during July and August. Please bear with us and remain flexible through this process. There will be a meet and greet scheduled on Campus, typically in late August. This will give families an opportunity to formally meet their cadet if they have not already done so. Details on this will also be via email.

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