Simmons takes cyber fast track thanks to UNG The path that led Zach Simmons to a career in cybersecurity is marked at every turn by the impact of the University of North Georgia (UNG). Stacy Wright, his STEM teacher at Creekside Christian Academy in Hampton, Georgia, attended one of the first cyber teacher camps at UNG. She returned to Creekside encouraging her students to play CyberStart America, a competition that would allow them to earn scholarships for cyber certifications. Simmons was one of those students. UNG also led CyberStart recruiting efforts in Georgia. After graduating from high school in May 2023, Simmons jumped in headfirst to UNG's cyber program, earning a bachelor's degree in cybersecurity and a master's degree in computer science within a combined span of two and a half years. A December 2025 graduate from the master's program, Simmons now works at Chick-fil-A's corporate offices in vulnerability management. He will begin a new role in cybersecurity engineering with Samaritan's Purse in September. Wright fondly looks back to her student's high school days and remembers letting Simmons know she was ahead of him in the CyberStart game. "He went home that weekend and made sure he was going to beat my score," Wright said. "After that, there was no looking back." Simmons carried the same competitive nature into UNG, regularly participating on teams that earned high honors at national and regional competitions. Between weekly CyberHawks student club meetings, classes and other interactions, Simmons was in an ideal atmosphere. "There was something every day of the week where you could learn from some of our top students," Simmons said. Dr. Hyungbae Park, associate professor of computer science and cybersecurity, marveled at Simmons' commitment to growth and excellence. "He was trying to build as many skill sets as possible," Park said.