North Lake students ace CISCO exam

Christopher Beene and his younger brother Timothy have many excuses to spend their time doing what many other teenagers of their age do – hanging out with friends, dating girls or playing games. Instead, they choose to channel most of their energy into studying and looking ahead to the future.

Studying has become a bit of an obsession for the Beene brothers, in fact. Nineteen-year-old Christopher and 16-year-old Timothy usually stay at the North Lake College's CISCO laboratory until the late evening hours everyday, learning and perfecting their computer networking skills.

Their mix of hard work and perseverance paid its first dividend in spring 2006. After months of daily studies and endless practices, all the buildup finally came to a head on April 27. In the first major test of his life, Christopher scored a perfect 1,000 points in CISCO Certified Network Associate (CCNA) examination, a rare feat even for seasoned computer network professionals.

“I pretty much knew all the answers but I didn't expect 1,000,” said the second-year computer science major. “I think a lot of it was being able to spend hours and hours in the lab. I worked hard all spring and it paid off.”

All CISCO exams are administered outside the college at independent testing centers. Mary Jane Macon, the president of Jet Test who supervised Christopher's exam, recalled the experience and said, “When someone came in and made 1,000, I thought it was absolutely wonderful.”

The younger brother Timothy also scored a very respectable 950 points. The high school junior, who is taking dual-credit classes for high school and college, said, “I was a little afraid of not passing it because I didn't have any past experience, but now I feel more confi dent.”

Both Christopher and Timothy unanimously gave high marks to the quality of the instruction and dedication of the instructors at North Lake's CISCO Academy, especially the CISCO Academy Coordinator Jerry Mesquita.

Mesquita explained that the Beene brothers' well-deserved achievements could be attributed to the fact that North Lake's CISCO instructors not only give exceptional training but also make attempts to know their students on a personal basis, providing them the motivation to stay in the program and work hard.

“Every semester, at least eighty percent of our students pass the certification,” said the former program manager at CISCO Systems, Inc. “These two brothers stand out but the whole class is very competitive. All the students work hard to get through this program.”

Jim Casey, the interim dean of educational and administrative technology who helped build the North Lake CISCO program, added, “I think people start coming because they know they are going to get top-notch education here. It refl ects very well on North Lake.”

Indeed, the brothers' performance and the reputable program have even drawn their father Gerald Beene to join the program.

The 23-year veteran U.S. Postal Service supervisor said, “I'm interested in a career change. I see that CISCO is interesting and challenging. It would be an opportunity to move my career forward.”

While the Beene brothers' success is in large part a product of hard work and good instruction, their long-standing interests in learning new subjects started at home.

Both Christopher and Timothy received all their pre-college education from their mother, Anita Beene, a North Lake graduate who completed her Associate degree as a legal secretary in 1982.

“I can probably give Christopher any subject and he can research it and figure it all out,” Anita said. “Timothy is very diligent. It amazes me how he can rise to the challenge and stay up to his brother.”

Over the course of the summer, the Beene brothers started on the next level of CISCO certification, CISCO Certified Network Professional (CCNP), expecting to complete it by the end of 2006. However, eventually they are intent on achieving the highest CISCO credential as CISCO Certified Interconnect Experts (CCIE) some day.

According to CISCO, less than 3 percent of all CISCO certified individuals make it to the CCIE level. As of Sept. 1, there are only less than 13,800 CCIEs worldwide.

To Adam Dzus, a CISCO lab assistant, it is just a matter of time before Christopher and Timothy attain their goals.

Referring to the Beene brothers, Dzus said, “They are intelligent, dedicated and very hard working. They can do it if they have the motivation for it.”

The goals ahead have at least renewed their commitment to continue their hard work.

“If you work hard on what you're given to do, then you'll be given something better to do,” Christopher said.