EUCLID, Ohio — Recent high school graduate and Mormon teen Joseph Barwick came in first place in the Systems Administration category of the National Cisco Competition held in Anaheim, Calif.
"I was surprised," Barwick said of his win. "I was confident I did well, but not the best. I figured others would do better than me. (The win) felt good. And I did get a plaque!"
The competition is sponsored by the Business Professionals of America and evaluates the ability of students to design, build, troubleshoot and secure computer networks. Participants took a multiple-choice test to determine their ranking.
Barwick, who attends the Euclid Ward in the Kirtland Ohio Stake, was admitted into a selective two-year Cisco course at Euclid High School; he took third place in the Cisco state championships, qualifying him for nationals.
He plans to attend BYU this fall before serving a full-time LDS mission. When asked if he plans to study anything computer-related as his major, Barwick said he hadn't decided.
"I'm going to just feel things out," he said.
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