Sage Despeignes
Published April 21, 2026
Sage Despeignes was undecided about her career path in high school, but she did not let that uncertainty stop her from making a smart first move. She enrolled in Prince George’s Community College as a dual enrollment student and was guided into a lucrative technology career, securing employment even before graduation. This spring, the 21-year-old has a full-time role with the United States Department of Defense awaiting her upon graduating from Bowie State University.
“It feels surreal,” she said. “There's a lot of feedback about the current job market for new graduates and how it's kind of very difficult. I was able to leverage my high-level internship experience, community involvement, and certifications to secure an opportunity before graduating.”
With such a bright future in the federal government on the horizon, Despeignes is an advocate and ambassador for the level of achievement possible at community colleges. She says she tells everyone about the advantages of starting at a community college.
“I encourage a lot of students to consider community college, because that's honestly where you can kind of build on everything without feeling as much pressure that a four-year institution would give,” Despeignes said. “I would recommend it to everyone that's in high school and still figuring it out, especially if they don't necessarily know what career they're interested in.”
Despeignes is a Prince George’s County native and attended Surrattsville High School in Clinton, Maryland. While at PGCC, she received the Pepco Community Scholars Program Scholarship, Gilbane and Partners Scholarship, and the Last Mile Education Fund from the Microsoft Cybersecurity Scholarship Program to study information technology. She said her time at PGCC allowed her the freedom to learn and explore the best path for her career.
“I felt like it was a very safe space to learn, and that was what pulled me into staying at PGCC after I graduated high school,” she said.
Through the guidance of PGCC professors Folashade Adeleke and Tracy Ring, she took full advantage of her student experience by participating in organizations and programs such as Women in Cybersecurity (WiCyS) and the STEM Collegian Center. Through those experiences, she volunteered, served as a camp counselor for the GenCyber Summer Camp Program, and joined field trips to Naval Air Station Patuxent River, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. These opportunities opened her mind to careers she never imagined for herself.
“When I was growing up, I didn’t really know about careers in technology because I didn’t have that level of exposure until I started taking courses at PGCC and getting involved,” she said.
While at PGCC, Despeignes participated in CyberStart Fast Track through her involvement in the WiCyS student chapter, which led her to complete the SANS Cyber Foundations Academy and earn the GIAC Foundational Cybersecurity Technologies (GFACT) and GIAC Security Essentials (GSEC) certifications.
While at Bowie State University, Despeignes attended and volunteered at more than 20 cybersecurity conferences and events across the United States over the past two years, participated in regional and national cybersecurity competitions, and is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in computer science with a cybersecurity focus in May 2026. She also interned with the U.S. Coast Guard in vulnerability management for two summers and worked with GuidePoint Security as a Detection Engineering Intern. In addition, she currently serves as vice president and competition coordinator of Bowie State University’s Cybersecurity Club and as vice president of the WiCyS student chapter.
She looks forward to joining the workforce and developing a rhythm as a full-time employee. She hopes to gain more experience in systems engineering before transitioning into leadership. Her ultimate career goal is to become a chief information security officer (CISO) and contribute to her community by serving as a guiding light for others.
“What brought me to being interested in working in the government in the beginning was the mission,” she said. “I have always been drawn to helping others, and that's what leadership is really about.”
.jpg)
Christina Walls
Published March 3, 2026
Online learning is a family affair and a revolutionary act for Christina Walls. While her two school-age children log in to their virtual classrooms, she logs in to her Prince George’s Community College computer science classes. The 37-year-old Prince George’s County native enrolled at the College, determined to chart a new career path and model lifelong learning for her family.
“It's positive for them to see me doing this and making positive changes in my life,” Walls said. “I’m showing them that you know you can change your course at any time, make positive changes, and still pursue knowledge as an adult.”
Not only is Walls a mom and an adult learner courageous enough to take on a career change, but she is also an artist and culture-maker poised to make her mark on the technology industry. She plans to put her self-described deep-thinking and problem-solving skills to use in the cybersecurity or artificial intelligence industries. Her personal goal to transform communities through technology is a legacy that goes beyond a career.
“It’s really important that AI is being trained by people who look like me,” she said. “I want to contribute to that movement for the same reason why I wanted to go back to school. I believe that my contribution to technology is my purpose.”
Walls attended Bowie State University after high school, but uncertainty about her career path deterred her from completing. She spent her early twenties working in the restaurant industry as a bartender and eventually transitioned to the wine industry. Her experience taught her valuable adaptability and people skills, but she wanted a career that would honor her childhood interests.
“I went to computer camp as a kid and learned how to do coding for Super Mario games,” Walls said. “I just always had that love for not just technology, but also I’m into gaming. No matter what I was doing, there was always technology involved. Even when I'm talking about my creative side, I'm someone who has my own studio equipment and software to record myself. I’m into using the latest, new technologies.”
Since enrolling at PGCC, Walls has fully immersed herself in campus life and in her new skill set. She joined the STEM Collegian Center and the Hackerspace clubs. In spring 2025, she was awarded a scholarship from Microsoft and is also pursuing the CompTIA A+ Prep and Security+ Certifications. In September 2025, she completed the Cyber Workforce Accelerator™ (CWA) Certification Program.
Established in 2024, the CWA program provides Cyber Ranges to all 16 Maryland community colleges for use in both workforce development programs and community college curricula across the IT and cybersecurity spectrum.
Developed by the Maryland Association of Community Colleges (MACC) and BCR Cyber, the CWA builds upon the resounding success of BCR Cyber’s Employment Advancement Right Now (EARN) ACT Training Program. Maryland stands out as a demand hub during a nationwide shortage of qualified IT and cybersecurity workers.
Walls is expected to graduate from PGCC in 2027 and looks forward to joining the career ranks in this in-demand field. For her, completing a degree and launching a technology career is more than a personal achievement. It is an investment for her children and the future world they will live in.
“Technology is evolving, and it is everywhere,” she said. “I look forward to being a part of this history and culture.”
John Otike
Published Feb. 9, 2026
Prince George’s Community College alum John Otike is on the fast track to success. At age 20, he is set to graduate with a master’s degree in cybersecurity, an achievement that distinguishes him from most of his peers. Otike accomplished this goal as a participant in the 3D Scholars Program, a scholarship opportunity and partnership PGCC fostered with the University of Maryland Global Campus and Prince George’s County Public Schools.
“The 3D Scholars program is a one-of-a-kind program in the country,” Johnnie Johnson, Ed.D., PGCC's Early College Access program director, said. “The 3D Scholars program is such a vital pathway for youth because it has the potential to change the trajectory of someone's life. The ability to complete your undergraduate degree at an early age and with no debt means you can enter the workforce earlier and realize more of your actual income. This can lead to earlier home and car purchases and the beginning of building wealth for those students.”
The 3D Scholars program empowers ambitious students like Otike with a pathway to complete at least 30 credit hours toward their associate’s degree while still in high school. Otike was accepted into the program at age 14 upon entering Charles Herbert Flowers High School. He challenged himself to complete his degrees even faster, earning both his diploma and a full associate’s degree (about 62 credit hours) at age 18, with a 4.3 GPA. He describes his work ethic as “extremely vigorous,” a mindset that helped him push through an educational journey where days began at 6 a.m.
“I was grinding out five classes a semester on top of all my high school classes,” Otike said. “The accelerated pace is always an option in the program, but not too many people go for it. A lot of times, I would end up finishing homework around 3 to 4 a.m. Then, I would eat dinner around that time. I would maybe sleep for 30 minutes, then get back up to rinse and repeat.”
Although Otike excelled in academics, his social life took a significant toll. He entered high school as a freshman during the COVID pandemic, which impacted his ability to socialize and make friends in person. In addition, his heavy academic load required him to sacrifice much of his teenage life outside the classroom.
“In the 11th grade, I came to terms that I was not going to be able to hang out like my friends, and I would have to focus on my education so that I could have the fun I wanted to later on,” he said.
PGCC offered relief to his social life, and he says he enjoyed the highly engaged campus life, where he was able to make friends.
“I really love that PGCC was very student-focused,” Otike said. “The professors were down-to-earth and easy to talk to. The College did so many events, and I especially enjoyed the mystery trips!”
Otike recalls joining those free surprise outings to local museums and to Philadelphia to taste authentic Philly cheesesteaks. He created lasting college memories as a PGCC student, even though his academic career went fast.
Today, he is very close to achieving his goals of securing a cloud-security position, pursuing real estate, and giving back through philanthropy. Last year, at age 19, he completed one year at the University of Maryland Global Campus to earn his bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity. This year, he is expected to receive his master’s degree in cybersecurity from the same institution. He appreciates the milestones in his academic career but looks forward to joining the professional workforce and earning a salary.
“If everything goes according to plan, by the age of 23 or 24, I should be able to finally enjoy the fruits of my labor,” he said. “I'm excited to get to a point in my life where I'm 100% financially free. I can do whatever I want and enjoy life while having the money to sustain it.”
Otike’s educational journey is marked by diligence, intellectual talent, and impressive speed. Strong community partnerships provided a successful pathway for Otike. This year, he enters the cybersecurity industry as a top candidate with above-average earning potential. For Otike, a major reward awaits at the higher-education finish line: a financial advantage and time to explore his interests.
“I feel pretty excited knowing that I'm going into cybersecurity as a popular domain,” he said. “I know there's a lot of really experienced hackers out there posing cyber threats, and I like the idea that I get to compete against them.”
Jonathan White
Published Jan. 20, 2026
Prince George’s Community College alum, Jonathan White, is on the road to a fresh start after securing a flatbed driving job at Western Express. He credits PGCC staff member Barbara McCreary and instructor Juan Carlos Sanchez Solares as his team for his success. Both supported him in obtaining his Class A Commercial Driver’s License and securing his first job.
“I want people to know, it's really people out here that you can get to be on your team,” White, 30, said. “When you have a team, you can achieve a lot because a team makes it a lot easier than doing things by yourself.”
PGCC’s community spirit motivated White once he encountered people who believed in his potential and were committed to his success.
“PGCC is so powerful because you’re around good people, and it's really hard to find genuine, good-hearted people,” White said. “They extended their hand to make sure I got somewhere, and they didn't know me from a can of paint. They took a chance with me. I really appreciated that, and I didn't ever want to make them look bad.”
White’s achievement is a long way from his days as a youth. Raised in Washington, D.C. during the late ‘90s and early 2000s, he was indoctrinated in neighborhood street wars and dropped out of high school in the 10th grade. His mother enrolled him in a Northwest high school in the district, hoping it would keep him out of trouble, but her decision made him an easy target, which invited more violence because his family still resided in a rival neighborhood in Southeast D.C.
“The situation ended up being worse because I was an outsider,” White said. “Then, I was just an oddball. So I was forced to drop out because I was skipping school and had bad grades. It was too much going on, people fighting and shooting. School wasn't really benefiting me.”
White describes the neighborhood street rivalries in the district as a “horrible influence” on his social development and other teens of the era because it was an inherited and learned behavior passed down from older people.
“When new kids are born into D.C., they are raised to automatically hate other neighborhoods,” he said. “A lot of times, trouble comes to you because in D.C., they have neighborhood beefs. You are involved whether you want to be or not if that's where you are from. We still have hood beefs that's been beefing for generations—my parents’ age.”
At the age of 17, White’s mother sent him to the Job Corps in Kentucky, where he earned his GED. However, once he returned home, life in the district continued to weigh on him. His family struggled to maintain stable housing, and he had difficulty staying employed. After being fired from his job as a mechanic, he encountered numerous rejections to new job applications and cites his dreadlocks as a reason some employers did not want to hire him.
“The bills were coming around faster than I could find a job,” he said.
Facing court hearings for eviction and the possibility of being homeless along with his mother and siblings, 19-year-old White committed three armed robberies to solve his financial problems.
“I started feeling like, man, I got to do something to get some money, and it affected me in the wrong way,” he said. “I knew better, but I didn’t know better.”
White's costly decision put him at risk of being convicted for nearly 60 years in prison, but he admitted to the charges and accepted a plea agreement for eight years.
“I was devastated,” he said. “I did know that I did the crime, but I definitely wasn't prepared for the time.”
White said he experienced an immediate mindset shift as soon as he entered jail. He knew he needed a plan to avoid returning to street life, so he researched jobs and decided on the trucking industry for its attractive compensation and travel opportunities. Since 2019, he has clung to that goal and maintained a renewed mindset.
“The difference from me back then and me now is I have goals and I'm going to strive to get them because I don't want to go back to where I came from,” he said. “I have goals mapped out for the rest of my life. Now, I have a life agenda. I have become addicted to achieving goals.”
With self-drive, discipline, and determination, White steers a clear path toward success. He looks forward to obtaining a hazardous materials endorsement and other licenses to increase his income over time. He also plans to start a moving company that will provide young men with employment opportunities to financially empower their futures in legitimate ways.
“My message to the community is no matter what you go through in life, never let it affect you to the point where you feel you have to break the law for money because it’s never worth the risk.”