Welcoming More Humans to the Security Table

I believe that one of the greatest things we can do as security professionals is inspire and educate the next generation to join us.

Our population is critically under-educated when it comes to personal privacy and safety on the internet, and I want to be a part of making cyber security curriculum a part of life for every American student from the moment a device is put into their hands. 

For a start, I am evangelizing cyber security in community spaces such as high schools, girl scout troops, and cyber security camps for middle and high school aged students. I hope to do work with educators who are bringing cyber security into the classroom at early ages during my career and to be a part of educating our next generation of colleagues. 

This page was originally intended to highlight my efforts to educate young humans, and so it does. However, since its original publication I have learned of a Biden-Harris administration effort to plant and curate cybersecurity education in the American populous.

I will be watching the resulting actions of this with great interest and seeking opportunities for engaged and interested cybersecurity professionals to participate in rising the tides of American cybersecurity mindsets at all ages.

Alexandria Technical College - GenCyber

I first spoke at ATC GenCyber in 2019. I was relatively new to Cyber Security, but I had taken SANS 401 so I had plenty of water in the fire hose to share. 

I like to think I would have been invited back during the following years if not for the global pandemic... so I'll hold onto that thought :)

I joined them again in June and July of 2022 for a virtual and in-person event. Connecting with the students and hearing their phenomenal questions gave me hope that we're on the right course with attracting bright minds to cyber security roles. 

Reflection post on LinkedIn after July 2022 visit.

Girl Scouts - Capture the Flag

Every year, Code42 runs a capture the flag event for local Girl Scouts troops. It is vital for young women to see role models doing lots of diverse jobs to help them find their own courage and to see that they can choose whatever they wish; success and striving can happen wherever they go when they choose courage and curiosity in the face of the unknown!

I am grateful to have been a facilitator in my first year at Code42, and I am signed up to lead a section of the CTF again this year :D

Central High School - St. Paul, MN

I had the great luck of being connected with the Computer Science teacher at Central High School through my gym community. I spoke for their classes towards the end of the 2022 school year, and I look forward to future opportunities to collaborate. Some ideas I would like to see realized are:

International High School - Minneapolis, MN

I am honored to have been invited to speak for International High School Computer Science day in 2019 and 2022. Again I hope the pandemic is the only reason for the lack of invitations in the intervening years! :D

This high school is full of students with bright and eager minds who are looking to find their path in the world, and I love sharing cyber security with them. After we establish that, yes, cyber security professionals are paid pretty dang well, they have the best questions about personal privacy and security. 

It's especially gratifying to provide them with guidance they can share with friends and family members who may or may not speak English well and struggle to navigate the extremely English-first internet in which we reside.