Eastern Center for Arts and Technology (EASTERN) Networking and Cybersecurity/Upper Moreland High School senior, Sherry Zheng, was nominated for an EASTERN Student Spotlight by her instructor, Mr. Michael Refsnider, for her outstanding performance on a recent Networking/Routing Lab. On October 11, 2023, Sherry completed the lab in record time. Sherry is an outstanding student at EASTERN and Upper Moreland High School.

The lab that Sherry completed was designed to teach students how to connect three routers together and network two computers. This is of great interest to Sherry because her future goal is to attend the University of Pennsylvania to continue her education in Computer Science, and possibly Telecommunications.

Sherry’s favorite part of this project was getting the opportunity to physically connect the cables. “It challenged me,” said Sherry. “We needed to connect three routers together in order to network two computers. The three routers represent the internet and are connected together.  On each end of the network is a switch and a computer.  This type of project helps you understand the job of a Network Administrator. I enjoyed this because this was an area of study that I previously knew nothing about. The switches and routers are not something I have at home, so I enjoyed getting this hands-on experience.”

Sherry explained that part of this project’s challenge was applying things she learned last school year in her Networking and Cybersecurity program. “This was the next level, so I needed to focus,” said Sherry. “Many things you do in this program build upon each other, so you can’t forget what you learned from previous lessons.”

Sherry is a member of EASTERN’s National Technical Honor Society and was chosen by her instructor to attend the Career and Technical Student Organization (CTSO) Leadership Conference in 2022. She has currently completed six college credits through EASTERN’s dual enrollment partnership with Montgomery County Community College and will complete six more credits before graduating in June 2024.

Be a college student while still in high school! While in EASTERN's Networking and Cybersecurity program, you can choose to enroll in Montgomery County Community College for up to twelve transferable credits! In this two-year half-day program, students must pass the TestOut Windows Server Certification in the first year of the program and are prepared for other industry certification exams.