The Start of a New Era

As the new school year begins and students adjust to their new classes, the first 3NCRYPT3D Club meeting is held on the 15th of August. Many returning students from the previous year attend, along with some new members from the CTE classes.

The meeting began with Mr. Smith’s general introduction, where he outlined what to expect in the club and its purpose. He discussed how we will be learning about cybersecurity and the strong job market in this field. He also mentioned upcoming competitions, such as CyberPatriot, Mayor’s Cup, and SoCal Cyber. While explaining, he covered the differences between blue teaming (defending a computer) and red teaming (attacking a computer). After his 10-15 minute introduction, the club urgently needed to elect new officers, including a President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Historian.

First up, the President! People murmured among themselves, but we all knew who it would be. When Mr. Smith asked if anyone wanted to run for President, only one hand went up. Her name was Valeria Ramirez, a familiar face. Last year, she was elected Vice President, so this wasn’t new to her. With no competition, she was elected the new President of the club. However, she couldn’t escape giving a speech.

With the President’s role filled, it was time to find her running partner—the Vice President. Unlike the President’s election, this time, three candidates were vying for the position: Jonathan Jeong, Natalie Lewis, and Jacob O’Brien. There was some tension between Natalie and Jacob during their speeches as they were strong competitors. But when Jonathan gave his speech, he stole the election. He made solid points and answered questions from his competitors with confidence. Jonathan won the Vice President election with nearly 85% of the vote.

Three more positions were left: Secretary, Treasurer, and Historian. When Mr. Smith called for Secretary nominees, only one hand went up— The one and only, Noah Pond. He will be the 2024-25 Secretary. For Treasurer, two nominees competed for votes: last year’s Treasurer, Natalie Lewis, and Isaac Reyna, who was also in the club last year. The vote was the closest of all the elections, but in the end, Isaac Reyna became the 2024-25 Treasurer. He even promised to donate $50 to the club right away if he won! Finally, we had the Historian position. The Historian’s job is to take photos and write posts on the website about what’s happening in the club and the results of our activities. Not too bad, right? It was an uncontested election, with only Jacob O’Brien running—who, by the way, is me. So, clearly, the 2024-25 Historian is Jacob O’Brien.

The Election Results

• President: Valeria Ramirez
• Vice President: Jonathan Jeong
• Secretary: Noah Pond
• Treasurer: Isaac Reyna
• Historian: Jacob O’Brien

The Ratification of the New Constitution

Shortly after the elections, we quickly set to work on drafting the new constitution for the club. To protect the rights of the members, the constitution was promptly signed by our newly elected President, Valeria Ramirez, and seconded by Secretary Noah Pond.

Hope to see you on the next 3NCRYPT3D Club on August 22nd 2024 at B-23, It will be a very important meeting to get you set up in your Cybersecurity Career!