Bloomington— Reece Montgomery, Ivy Tech Community College Bloomington network infrastructure graduate, was selected from more than 60 applicants across the United States and Canada to participate at Cisco Live, Cisco’s largest customer event, in Las Vegas from June 25-29. This is the second year in a row that an Ivy Tech Bloomington School of Computing and Informatics student has been chosen. Montgomery is one of only 11 people to make Cisco’s Dream Team.
“To give this some perspective, there are more than 160,000 students a year in the United States and Canada that take courses from Cisco Academies like Ivy Tech,” said Matthew Etchison, Vice President of Information Technology at Ivy Tech Community College. “Cisco picks just 11 people to be on their Dream Team. Ivy Tech Bloomington has delivered two years in a row.”
Montgomery obtained his Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician (CCENT) and CompTIA A+ certifications, equipping him with the skills necessary to support complex IT infrastructure. He plans to sit for another certification in the coming weeks, as well as at the event in Las Vegas.
“I am looking forward to meeting a lot different people out at Cisco Live, other NetAcad students, executives, and industry engineers,” said Reece Montgomery, Ivy Tech Bloomington networking alumnus. “It will be an incredibly exciting experience that I will learn a great deal from.”
He graduated with an associate of applied science in network infrastructure from Ivy Tech Bloomington on Friday, May 12 and started his internship with Tri-Star Engineering located in Bloomington on Monday, May 8.
“I first got involved with Cisco when I took a networking course at Ivy Tech Bloomington,” said Montgomery. “I distinctly remember the course because it was very challenging, but I found that I was loving it. Once I was fully immersed in the material, I knew I had found a passion in networking.”
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, computing is among the occupations with above-average job growth. Employment in the field is projected to increase by 12.5 percent from 2014 to 2024, resulting in nearly half a million new jobs, with an additional one million new job openings resulting from workers (retirees) permanently leaving their positions.
Ivy Tech’s School of Computing and Informatics (ivytech.edu/computers) offers associate degrees and certifications, both online and in-person, in computer science, cyber security, database management, informatics, information technology support, network infrastructure, server administration, and software development.
About Ivy Tech Community College
Ivy Tech Community College is Indiana's largest public postsecondary institution and the nation's largest singly accredited statewide community college system, accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Ivy Tech has campuses throughout Indiana and also serves thousands of students annually online. It serves as the state's engine of workforce development, offering associate degrees, long- and short-term certificate programs, industry certifications, and training that aligns with the needs of the community. The College provides a seamless transfer to other colleges and universities in Indiana, as well as out of state, for a more affordable route to a bachelor's degree.
