Seniors Samantha Boothe and Caleb Kingan from Lakota West High School were recognized at the 2025 National Cyber Signing Day. This is the first time two students from the same school district have been selected in the same year. The event has been held since 2020. The Lakota Cyber Academy has had five students honored since the event began.
Samantha Boothe started her cybersecurity experience with a summer internship at Georgetown University after her sophomore year. She worked on assessing and improving a client’s cybersecurity systems. She also completed a Leadership Initiatives international business internship, where she helped develop a cybersecurity plan for a non-profit. Samantha participated in the Girl Security National Fellowship, meeting weekly with peers and professionals to address security challenges. She plans to study computer engineering after graduation.
Caleb Kingan completed a Leadership Initiatives internship in Washington D.C., where he worked on cybersecurity issues for a non-profit. In the spring National Cyber League competition, he ranked 15th out of 1,727 high school participants. His team placed second among 571 high school teams in the fall. Competing against nearly 4,900 teams, including college students and professionals, his team finished 29th overall. Caleb has earned several industry certifications and is co-chair of the school’s Cyber Security Club. He has also participated in bug bounty programs for companies such as SpaceX…