Center of Academic Excellence

Highline College Cybersecurity Center

About the Center

The Highline College Cybersecurity Center serves as a central resource for cybersecurity education, student engagement, academic program guidance, industry collaboration, and community outreach. The Center connects students, faculty, industry professionals, and educational partners to support cybersecurity learning, hands-on experiences, professional development, and awareness of emerging cybersecurity threats.

What is CAE-CD?

The Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD) designation distinguishes institutions dedicated to protecting our national infrastructure. Colleges and universities that receive the CAE designation get a stamp of approval for their cybersecurity programs from the U.S. Government. Schools with CAE designation go through intensive assessments to determine their capabilities, ensuring that students are receiving top-notch training designed to make them leaders in a variety of cybersecurity fields and provide extensive knowledge on how to address the threats we’re facing today.

Center Point of Contact

Syeda Nizami
CS/CIS Department Coordinator and CAE-CD Point of Contact
Email: snizami@highline.edu
Phone: (206) 592-3398
Location: Building 29, Highline College

As the department coordinator, Syeda Nizami provides a central academic contact for students, faculty, community partners, and institutional stakeholders regarding cybersecurity education and CAE-related activities.

Cybersecurity Academic Programs

Highline College provides cybersecurity education through degree and certificate pathways emphasizing cyber defense, networking, digital forensics, and security investigations.

Validated Program of Study: Digital Forensics & Investigations AAS

Explore Highline Cybersecurity Programs

Cybersecurity Faculty

Faculty provide academic guidance, cybersecurity instruction, practical learning experiences, and connections to professional development opportunities.

Relevant Computing faculty include Syeda Nizami, Emma Kong, Aaron Hayden, and Michael Myers.

Highline Computing Faculty and Contact Information

Student Cybersecurity Clubs and Activities

Highline students can participate in activities that support practical technical skills, leadership, collaboration, and professional networking.

Highline Cybersecurity Club: Supports skill development through cybersecurity competitions, networking events, and security best practices.

Women in Cybersecurity (WiCyS) Highline Student Chapter: Provides opportunities for professional networking, mentorship, community engagement, and cybersecurity career development.

Explore Highline Student Clubs

Cybersecurity Competitions and Learning Resources

Students are encouraged to explore cybersecurity competitions and hands-on learning opportunities.

National Cyber League — Practical challenges in network security, forensic analysis, cryptography, and vulnerability assessment.
picoCTF / CyLab Security Academy — Educational cybersecurity challenges and capture-the-flag activities.
Highline Cyber Competition Participation — Example of Highline students participating in regional cyber defense competitions.

Cybersecurity News and Updates

Highline College Cybersecurity News

External Cybersecurity News

These external resources provide updates on security vulnerabilities, cyberattacks, ransomware, emerging threats, and cybersecurity practices.

Institutional Cybersecurity Awareness and Security Resources

Highline College Information Technology Services provides cybersecurity information and resources to help students, faculty, and staff protect accounts, devices, and institutional information.

Industry Advisory Board

The Cybersecurity Center's external advisory board provides industry and educational perspectives on curriculum relevance, workforce preparation, emerging cybersecurity needs, partnerships, and student development opportunities.

Supporting institutional reference:

Highline College Computing Advisory Committee — 2025 Report

Name	Title	Company	Location
Laurie Litwack	Product Manager on Security	Microsoft	Seattle, WA
Justin Pedersen	Senior Infrastructure Engineer	Cotsco	Seattle, WA
Ederly Beausillen	Former Consultant	Avanade	Seattle, WA
Eric Garay	IIRC Director of Security	Providence	Seattle, WA
Matthew Eckermann	Information Security Group	F5 Networks	Seattle, WA