Tate Student Wins Gaet'z

Creative teenagers with a passion for STEM and cybersecurity ascended on the University of West Florida campus on Saturday for the Congressional App Challenge. with a Tate High School student walking away as the winner.

U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz hosted the Challenge and STEM/Cybersecurity Expo. This marked the first Congressional App Challenge in his district Gaetz said.

Tate High School senior John Chamblee placed first with his stock investment trainer game app. Crestview High seniors Cody Morton and Dakota Waters placed second for their entry and Navarre High senior Jesse Hoskins finished third.

Chamblee said he plans to study cybersecurity at UWF next fall. He cited the opportunity to interact with industry professionals as the highlight of the day for him.

“That was the main reason for coming here,” Chamblee said before pulling out a stack of business cards from the pocket inside his suit jacket. “I wanted to talk to people from Navy Federal, Northrop Grumman and UWF Center for Cybersecurity.”

Gaetz cited the collaboration among academia, military and industry sectors at the Congressional App Challenge as an example of why Northwest Florida is primed to be the Cyber Coast.

“Every high-end cyber warrior in the Navy is going to come through Northwest Florida at Corry Station, and every high-end cyber warrior in the Air Force is going to engage in training at Hurlburt Field,” Gaetz said. “Our job as policymakers is not to export all of that talent. If we’re training them here and introducing Gulf Coast living, we want to make sure that we’ve got the jobs and the industries for those folks to ultimately come back to Northwest Florida and build businesses.”