Submitted By: Dawn Kristy
Women in CyberSecurity (WiCyS) was established in 2012 by Dr. Ambareen Siraj of Tennessee Tech University through a National Science Foundation grant, and within ten years, the organization has grown into a leading alliance between trailblazers from academia, government, and industry.
At WiCyS our spirit is “Together, We Thrive” as it beautifully illustrates our goals to grow and expand awareness about cybersecurity, support students, professionals, faculty, veterans, BIPOC community, and mentor members discovering career choices.
The WiCyS collaborative spirit is in harmony with Cybersecurity Awareness Month in October (now in its 18th year). In fact, WiCyS is a proud champion of Cybersecurity Awareness Month supporting the National Cyber Security Alliance with the theme “Do Your Part.” #BeCyberSmart.”
The WiCyS Cybersecurity Awareness Month Activities:
SOCIAL MEDIA TIPS:
To help influence better cyber hygiene, the WiCyS team will be working on cybersecurity tips throughout the whole month of October!
Follow WiCyS on social media along with the hashtag #WiCyS and #BeCyberSmart
Twitter: @WiCySorg
Instagram: wicysorg
WEBINARS:
Become more cyber aware and #BeCyberSmart by taking your skills to the next level by registering for one of the WiCyS upcoming webinars!
- Let’s Crack Passwords by Marisa Midler, Chesleah Kribs, and Destiney Plaza (Carnegie Mellon University Software Engineering Institute) on October 5th at 1 pm CT
- Cloud Security Architecture by Sunitha Kumar (Cisco) on October 12th at 1 pm CT
- 2021’s Top 10 Privacy Tips to Protect your Privacy by Veronica Toscano (Cisco) on October 12th at 3 pm CT
- Imposter Syndrome, Perspectives for Black Women in Tech by Alexis Robinson, Olivia Liddell, Janeen Morehead, and Nafi Diallo (AWS) on October 13th at 1 pm CT
- Ensuring a Technology Relevant Workforce by Pam Sheary (Lockheed Martin) on October 18th at 1 pm CT
- Cybersecurity Leadership: Influence Without Authority by Sarah Currey (AWS) on October 19th at 1 pm CT
- Blaze Your Trail! Discover the Many Paths to a Career in Cybersecurity by Nazira Carlage, Aliia Sitdikova, Sarah Lackey, and Lynn Simons (Salesforce) on October 21st at 1 pm CT
- A Trailblazer’s Path to a Career in Cybersecurity by Michele Guel (Cisco) on October 28th at 1 pm CT
CYBERSECURITY TRAINING:
Students can apply for the free Cyber Start Licenses for hands-on cybersecurity training through real-world simulations with opportunities for Cyber FastTrack scholarships to US residents. This offer starts October 27, 2021. Connect with your local student chapter president OR start your student chapter, please email [email protected]
SUPPORT #SHARETHEMICINCYBER:
Follow the hashtag #ShareTheMicInCyber on October 22 to learn more about Black Practitioners in cybersecurity and take steps to amplify their voices to make the workforce more inclusive for EVERYONE.
INSTAGRAM TAKEOVER:
Throughout the day on Wednesday, October 27, follow @wicysorg on Instagram to check our story throughout the day and get to know Drea London-Petter, Sr Director of Digital Forensics and Incident Response at Sentinel One. She will be answering questions, taking you behind the scenes of her life, and interacting with members!
WICYS 2022 CONFERENCE OFFERINGS:
Scholarships, Grants and Fellowship Awards applications are available until October 18th. Don’t miss this opportunity to join the women in cybersecurity community, March 17-19, in Cleveland, Ohio.
- Student Scholarships: Students MUST apply for WiCyS scholarships to attend the conference (there is no general WiCyS 2022 registration for students) and have to be a current WiCyS student member
- Faculty Grants: Faculty must be a WiCyS Student Chapter Advisor or a WiCyS faculty member that has not attended WiCyS in the past
- Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) Fellowship Awards: For WiCyS members that identify as part of the BIPOC community
- Veteran Fellowship Award: For WiCyS members who are US Veterans
Speaking Opportunities at WiCyS 2022
Call for Participation for WiCyS 2022 is open until October 18. Join WiCyS in 2022 to showcase the wide variety of talent from a diverse group of cybersecurity professionals on a global stage and impact more women to join or advance in the field.
Contributor: Dawn Kristy, JD, Founder & CEO of The Cyber Dawn, a cybersecurity awareness training and communications consultancy.