Chicago Public School Students Impress Local Security Professionals!
The 2023 Converge Tour made a stop in the South-Loop of Chicago on Tuesday March 21st, at the Illinois Institute of Technology’s Kent College of Law Center. Nearly 100 local students from Chicago Public Schools and their teachers joined a myriad of security professionals from around the windy city to learn about cybersecurity jobs, and the career field that has given each of us, so much.
Our day began with introductions to the basic principles of cybersecurity, where our mentors helped explain “why do we need to protect our data? What motivates the bad actors? How We begin to protect our companies, our governments and ourselves, and what role each of the students could play in actual security scenarios. There are currently over 3.5 million jobs in cybersecurity going unfilled around the globe due to a lack of qualified talent, and interest in the career field. These programs, help to address that daunting conundrum.
After introducing the basic principles of cyber and guiding some lively discussions on how businesses manage risk, our mentors worked with teams of 3-4 students in a game of CTF. Capture The Flag, as it is more commonly known is a virtualized game of problem solving, with multiple challenges spanning a wide ray of security topics. Teams are encouraged to work collaboratively while learning analytical thinking skills, creativity and strategy.
Three teams were awarded certificates of achievement for their high scores in the game. Students were asked what skills they discovered that they didn’t know they had, or tools they didn’t know existed. Fun was had by the entire group of students and launched the group into our career pathways discussion.
Security professionals from around the area, and from wide swaths of the industry, shared their stories, and how they found their way into the career of cyber. Students inquired about how the professionals network, where they learn and how they stay ahead of bad actors.
The program concluded with a pizza lunch, allowing professionals and students to talk informally and share fun stories.
The Alliance would like to thank the Docent Institute, The Pan Asian American Business Council, and the IIT, Kent College of Law for hosting and to Splunk for sponsoring the meal for the students and mentors.
As always, the Alliance would like to thank Microsoft, Cisco Secure and Mastercard for their annual support of the Alliance and our Converge Tour program. We simply could not put these events together without your generous contributions to our community!
