The Magnolia Cybersecurity Institute unleashes innovation and secures our future by educating students and the community in cyber defense.
The Magnolia Cybersecurity Institute (MCI) is part of an evolving pathway at Magnolia High School which was introduced in the 2017-18 school year. MCI’s goal is to provide students with the education and experience they need in order to make informed decisions about technical careers that interest them. The MCI partnership with Cypress College is a key part of this experience. Cybersecurity teachers work alongside college faculty to provide real-world experiences in technical training and hands-on learning.
Cypress College’s mentoring labs and training are held in MCI classrooms on a regular basis. Our partnerships with local IT businesses allow us to provide Cybersecurity students with access to field trips, hands-on materials, AIME mentorships, and summer internships (end of their junior year), where students begin to build industry relationships that have the potential to lead into full-time careers. Dale Junior High, Magnolia High, Cypress College, and the University of California, Irvine are working together to develop a specific pathway that is only offered at Magnolia HS, which has been designated as a Center of Excellence for Technology and Innovation.
The Magnolia Cybersecurity Institute is designed to expose students to college courses while still providing the guidance that high school students need. All Dual Enrollment courses (held at Magnolia and/or Cypress College) in this program are absolutely free. All that is required are commitment and a strong work ethic. Attending Cypress College after high school allows students time to learn about themselves, improve their tech skills and seek out the industries they are interested in without taking on massive student debt. Plus, the Anaheim Pledge through AUHSD pays for the first year of tuition at Cypress College and credits transfer to other colleges or four-year universities. Students in this pathway could graduate high school with a year of college credit under their belts – all at no cost to families.
Students receive the opportunity to hone their interpersonal skills through interaction with industry and higher education experiences. These high school students are uniquely poised to be industry leaders, highly desirable employees, innovators of new technologies, and so much more because of this pathway.
Magnolia has been recognized for its efforts to build a true skills-based Career and Technical Education (CTE) Pathway, the Magnolia Cybersecurity Institute, so it has been provided with additional funding to make sure MCI students receive the best training available. Both Cybersecurity classrooms have been completely transformed with new computer labs. Furthermore, a brand new, state-of-the-art Cybersecurity building will be constructed at Magnolia High School. Construction is expected to commence during the 2022 school year.
In addition, multiple tech companies have taken an interest in this pathway and have partnered with Magnolia to assist in producing the best tech students in Orange County. Materials for hands-on activities in programming, Linux, eSports, robotics, 3-D printing, cabling & networking, Virtual Machine (VMware), NetLabs, cyber hygiene, cyber defense, AUHSD 5Cs, and the latest technologies are continually being updated and ready for student use.
Join our Cybersecurity program. There are different components to the program such as:
Cyber English Class (currently for ninth and tenth grades | Honors and College Prep)
Cyber Math Class (currently for Math 1 & 1/2 | Math 2 & 2/3)
Dual Enrollment (College level course after school with Cypress College students 9-12th grades)
Career Finance Technology (CFT) - Cybersecurity (All 9th graders take either 1st or 2nd semester)
Cyber Literacy I (elective class during the day)
Cyber Literacy II (elective class during the day)
Cyber Innovation (elective class during the day)
Cyber Mentoring (elective class during the day)
CyberPatriot (after-school National Youth Cyber Education Program created by the Air Force Association)
eSports Club (after-school program)
Drone Club (after-school program)
Cyber Club (after-school program)
AIME (student internships after Junior year)
Principal - Aaron Chau ~ chau_a@auhsd.us
Assistant Principal - Cynthia Lungren ~ lungren_c@auhsd.us
Cybersecurity Counselor - Nasreen Sarvi ~ sarvi_n@auhsd.us
Co-Cybersecurity Coordinator - Michael Derbish ~ derbish_m@auhsd.us
Co-Cybersecurity Coordinator - Jamie Keledjian ~ keledjian_j@auhsd.us
CTE Department Head - Jamie Keledjian ~ keledjian_j@auhsd.us