WTC Student and Instructor selected to attend the Cisco Networking Academy Dream Team at Cisco Live in San Diego

June 27, 2019

June 27, 2019 – For 20 years, Cisco Networking Academy has changed the lives of 9.2 million students in 180 countries by providing education, technical training, and career mentorship.

Each year, only 10 students and 2 instructors in the U.S. and Canada are selected yearly for membership on the Dream Team; those who make it participate at Cisco Live.

Last year, one of our Instructors from the Information Systems and Security program, Gabriela Rzycki, and one of her students, Emilio Dominguez, were selected as members of the Cisco Live Dream Team for the Cisco Live event held in Orlando, FL.  Additionally, this was a two-year selection for Gabriela, with her returning to the Cisco Live Dream Team for a second year attending the event held in San Diego, CA this year.  Once again, another of Western Tech’s students, Steven Townsend, was also selected as a member of the Dream Team.

“They work hard — putting on an event of this size is a massive technical undertaking — but they’re exposed to the kind of work they’ll be doing in IT careers and get mentored by experienced pros”, stated Rzycki.

The Dream Team gained valuable first had experience and knowledge as they attended dinner with the Cisco NOC team. Both Rzycki and Townsend had the chance to meet all the engineers involved in the Design and Implementation of the Network that was setup at the SDCC (San Diego Convention Center).

During the conference, they also had the opportunity to hear from industry leaders such as Tae Yoo (SR VP Corporate Affairs and CSR) and Chuck Robbins (Cisco Chairman & CEO) talk about how leaders can inspire others to make a difference in the world

It wasn’t all fun and games! There was a lot work to be done! Throughout the week, Rzycki and Townsend had the opportunity to learn and grow while they spent their time assisting the technicians from Tater Networks running UTP cabling, crimping RJ45 plugs, mounting Cisco Meraki Access Points and mounting antennas and smartboards for the Walk-in Labs area.

Townsend passed his CCNA exam and was provided with a $1,500 scholarship.  “Attending the conference was an experience I’ll never forget’, stated Townsend.