{"id":185408,"date":"2026-02-05T10:49:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-05T15:49:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/05\/ucf-alums-are-twin-pillars-of-support-for-ucf-cybersecurity-competition-teams\/"},"modified":"2026-02-07T14:00:30","modified_gmt":"2026-02-07T19:00:30","slug":"ucf-alums-are-twin-pillars-of-support-for-ucf-cybersecurity-competition-teams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/05\/ucf-alums-are-twin-pillars-of-support-for-ucf-cybersecurity-competition-teams\/","title":{"rendered":"UCF Alums Are Twin Pillars of Support for UCF Cybersecurity Competition Teams"},"content":{"rendered":"

UCF Alums Are Twin Pillars of Support for UCF Cybersecurity Competition Teams<\/a><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/ucf-alums-are-twin-pillars-of-support-for-ucf-cybersecurity-competition-teams\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Publish Date: 2026-02-05 10:49:00<\/a><\/p>\n

Source Domain: www.ucf.edu<\/a><\/p>\n

Author: <\/a><\/p>\n

Using an unordered list, summarize the following article with between 4 and 8 key points.
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThey learned to defend networks under pressure \u2014 then took that mindset into the real world. UCF alumni Martin \u201920 \u201922MS and Michael Roberts \u201919 \u201921MS are two of the university\u2019s most celebrated cybersecurity competitors. Now, even with their student days behind them, the identical twins remain deeply embedded in Hack@UCF, proudly supporting, training and mentoring future cybersecurity talent.
\nFrom Cyber Competition to Real-World Defense
\nBoth brothers turned their meaningful time at UCF into high-impact careers protecting critical systems. Martin leads the security engineering program at workforce management company Fountain, while Michael oversees cybersecurity efforts at Abbott Diabetes Care.
\n\u201cI stayed interested in cybersecurity because it was also about safeguarding people, privacy and trust,\u201d Michael says. \u201cThat sense of purpose in protecting people is what has kept me motivated. I am now responsible for protecting medical devices, some of the technology people most rely on in their everyday lives.\u201d
\nWhere Purpose Took Shape
\nThat purpose was developed at UCF, where the Roberts brothers solidified their career paths through the renowned Collegiate Cyber Defense Club \u2014 better known as Hack@UCF. The student-led organization became a launchpad, sharpening their technical skills through high-stakes competitions and invaluable collaboration. As Hack@UCF stacked up championship after championship, university and industry partners doubled down on their support. In 2019, Lockheed Martin helped establish the Innovation Cyber Lab \u2014 a 970-square-foot dedicated practice space located in the Engineering I building \u2014 providing the team with a home base.
\n\u201cThese competitions helped me advance my skillset, gain real-world experience and make connections across the industry.\u201d\u00a0\u2014 Martin Roberts \u201920 \u201922MS
\n\u201cUCF gave us the space to experiment, to fail and to grow. The university\u2019s investment in cybersecurity infrastructure and student-led initiatives made it possible for us to compete \u2014 and win \u2014 on a national level,\u201d Michael says. \u201cNot every university is willing to dedicate space and resources for a team to compete, so I am grateful to UCF for doing so.\u201d
\nThe brothers also lauded computer science instructor Tom Nedorost \u201902MS, Hack@UCF\u2019s faculty advisor and a longtime collegiate cybersecurity competition (C3) coach, for his contributions to the programs. Nedorost was there from the beginning, when students officially formed the club in Spring 2013.
\n\u201cUCF participating in these competitions is only possible because of the dedication from our team\u2019s faculty advisor, Dr. Nedorost,\u201d Martin says. \u201cThese competitions helped me advance my skillset, gain real-world experience and make connections across the industry.\u201d
\nBuilding Team-Ready Talent
\nToday, Michael\u2019s role at Abbott includes recruiting, and he\u2019s actively bringing fellow Knights with him. He has hired several Hack@UCF alumni and says they possess a rare combination of technical depth and operational maturity, and that they share a strong bond from defending networks together in competitions.
\n\u201cThey\u2019ve been battle-tested in competitions, but they also know how to work in teams, communicate risk and adapt quickly,\u201d Michael says. \u201cThey know how to follow a playbook and how to innovate when a playbook doesn\u2019t work. It\u2019s difficult to teach that initiative and resourcefulness, so we look to hire those who already have it.\u201d
\nGiving Back to What Gave Them a Start
\nBoth brothers remain actively involved at UCF and are passionate about giving back as alumni.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s important to stay involved in this way, and I recommend this to more alumni,\u201d Martin says. \u201cI\u2019m only where I\u2019m at today because of technical mentors who took the time to help train me up at the high school and the collegiate level.\u201d
\nMartin emphasizes that success in cybersecurity goes far beyond the classroom. Experiences like competing on cybersecurity teams are essential for any student pursuing the field. He encourages students to cultivate interests outside of the classroom and to pursue multiple internships to gain more hands-on experience.
\n\u201cThe students that excel are the ones that dedicate the most time to bettering themselves and the people around them,\u201d Martin says. \u201cThose are the kinds of students who make it on the C3 team and excel in their careers after they graduate. So if you\u2019re a student reading this with cybersecurity as an interest, find a niche and become really good at it.\u201d
\n\u201cI will continue to give back to the program and help it improve, and I hope more alumni do the same.\u201d \u2014 Michael Roberts \u201919 \u201921MS
\nWhile Hack@UCF\u2019s trophy case already tells an impressive story, Michael says the best is yet to come \u2014 and he and his brother plan to be there every step of the way.
\n\u201cOur best days of C3 aren\u2019t behind us; they are in front of us,\u201d Michael says. \u201cAnd I talk about myself as part of C3 in the present tense because it is still a part of who I am, and I intend for it always to be. I will continue to give back to the program and help it improve, and I hope more alumni do the same. I am excited about the future of the program, and proud to be a part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

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UCF Alums Are Twin Pillars of Support for UCF Cybersecurity Competition Teams https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/ucf-alums-are-twin-pillars-of-support-for-ucf-cybersecurity-competition-teams\/ Publish Date:…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":185409,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/20\/files\/2026\/02\/Martin-and-Michael-Roberts.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[24],"class_list":["post-185408","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cybersecurity","tag-cybersecurity"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185408"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=185408"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185408\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":185410,"href":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185408\/revisions\/185410"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/185409"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=185408"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=185408"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=185408"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}