Alumni Spotlight: Crayton Rogers

  Jessyca Brown
  Monday, January 22, 2024 1:37 PM
  General Events

Hillsboro, TX

In March of 2023, Crayton Rogers joined the staff at Hill College as a PC technician. A former Hill College student, Crayton began taking dual credit courses in 2010 while in his last year of high school in Grandview, Texas.

Not sure of his future career path, he began working as a casing operator in Woodward, Oklahoma, in 2013. By 2018, he was promoted to the position of safety coordinator. In two years, he led the company to a rating of no recordable incidents with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

In 2020, Crayton’s father passed away. His mother was dealing health issues of her own and the yard he was working at in Oklahoma was shut down and he was let go. Faced again with what to do with his future, he decided to move back to Grandview. With the COVID pandemic still in full force and wanting to support his family, he returned to Hill College and enrolled in the Cyber Security Program.

A large part of his decision to pursue cyber security was job security. COVID proved that certain industries could withstand an economic shutdown, cyber security and IT being one of them. “Hill College was close to home and offered a great program with flexible class times, including online courses,” said Crayton.

Crayton graduated from Hill College in 2023 with an Associate of Applied Science in cyber security. He credits Jackie Armstrong, instructor of computer science, with his success. “Jackie gave me the opportunity to thrive at Hill College, allowing me the chance to compete in some of the most prestigious cyber security competitions in the United States. She has been a rock for me. I couldn’t have asked for a better instructor. She will be forever part of my family.”

“Thanks to my education and the support I have received at Hill College, I am more available to my children and my wife,” said Crayton.

In both 2022 and 2023, Crayton placed in the top 500 at the National Cyber League, earning three top 500 coins. He placed 16th out of over 1,000 contestants in a team competition at the National Cyber League. He received a certificate from the National Security Administration (NSA) for competing in the National Centers of Excellence NSA Cyber Exercise. He also received an Outstanding Academic Achievement award in cyber security from Hill College in 2023.