(Photo provided) Madeline Best explores the floral art exhibit “The Archive” at the Cleveland Public Library.

LITTLE HOCKING — A career in the emerging field of cybersecurity is on the horizon for recent Warren High School graduate Madeline Best.

Best was inducted into the National Honor Society at Warren in 2023 and was a member of the student council as the senior class historian. She is the daughter of Audrey and Gary Best of Little Hocking.

Best said she didn’t determine her post-high school plans until her senior year.

“My dad is in cybersecurity. Sometimes I’ve been able to hear about some of the things he has done at his work,” she said. “That just kind of piqued my interest.”

Last summer she took an introduction to cybersecurity course at Washington State College of Ohio. After that course she earned her Cisco certification

(Photo provided) Madeline Best shakes hands with James Perkins Jr. at the Parkersburg Elks Lodge while receiving the Female Student of the Year scholarship.

“I got the very basic fundamentals, but that was enough to hook me in and left me wanting more from that,” she said. “I definitely found my sights set on cybersecurity from there.”

In August, Best will begin her cybersecurity studies at Marshall University in Huntington.

“I was drawn to the program when I found out they are the East Coast hub for cybersecurity and defense because they partnered with the DOD (Department of Defense),” she said. “Based on all the schools I was looking at around here, that was really the one that really caught my eye based on their program.”

At Warren, Best was tied with seven other students for the top spot in the class. Academically she was on the principal’s list every year, which recognizes students having all A’s. She was also summa cum laude every year.

This fall, Best will be in the university’s honor college and the top scholar program. She received the 1837 scholarship at Marshall and also won the Parkersburg Elks Lodge Female Student of the Year Scholarship.

(Photo provided) Madeline Best is pictured with her grandparents, George and Terry Sheff, after her May graduation ceremony at Warren High School.

During her junior and senior years at Warren Local, she was also taking College Credit Plus courses at Washington State. She made the President’s List every semester, while taking courses that included Composition I and II, general psychology and introduction to cybersecurity. During her senior year she took speech, Calculus I, fundamentals of chemistry and lab. She said she has been able to complete many of the first year college classes and also took a course to be AI readiness certified.

“It wasn’t a course offered by the high school,” she said. “It was a different company that taught it. … It was an introduction to the capabilities of AI and what all you can achieve if you are able to use it correctly.”

Best was involved in numerous activities in high school ranging from student council to the book club to volunteer services such as recycling and the FFA Food Stand.

“I definitely tried many different clubs because I wanted to explore what options I had in high school,” she said. “I’m glad I joined those clubs over the years because I feel they really helped me come out of my shell; I found myself a little more.”

Best also volunteered at the Barlow Public Library during her senior year, helping with the after-school Junior Teen Ally Club, which included second- through fourth-grade students, and the Teen Ally Club with fifth- through eighth-graders.

(Photo provided) Madeline Best plays her guitar in one of her senior portraits.

“I had a lot of fun with that,” Best said. “I helped with the setup and cleanup and hanging out with the younger kids and helping them with whatever they needed, participating with them in their board games, playing outside.”

Best said she had a great time with that experience.

“I feel that really helped bring me out of my shell because I was focused on trying to push myself out of my comfort zone this year,” she said. “So that was a great way to put myself out there a little bit and actually help others.”

Best said she believes she has a lot of opportunities ahead of her over the next four years.

“I think I will definitely be looking forward to all the opportunities that I am going to have at Marshall, because I’ve heard a lot from people around me that it is THE place to be,” she said. “Anytime you mention Marshall around this area it seems like people perk up a little bit.

(Photo provided) Madeline Best is shown after her induction into the National Honor Society at Warren High School.

“I’m excited to be a part of such a well-known community.”

(Photo provided) Madeline Best gets her picture taken with mascot Marco at the Marshall University New Student Orientation.

(Photo provided) Madeline Best is shown in her senior portrait.

(Photo provided) Madeline Best picks lavender at the Sunset Ridge Lavender Farm in Enon, Ohio.

(Photo provided) Madeline Best is pictured with a group attending the Marshall University Top Scholar Weekend.

(Photo provided) Madeline Best and her grandmother ride the Cass Scenic Railroad in Cass, W.Va.