High School Students Shine in Cyber Careers Workshop at STL Community College
St. Louis Community College’s Forest Park Campus recently welcomed students from five local high schools for the Secure Pathways Cybersecurity Careers Workshop.
Dean Patrick Mallory, along with staff from Workforce Solutions and the Recruitment Department, greeted the students as they arrived for a day of hands-on learning and career exploration.
The Secure Pathways Workshops are designed to facilitate meaningful connections between high school students and working cybersecurity professionals. Through interactive activities and mentorship, students gain insight into the cybersecurity field. Representatives from top companies, including Mastercard, First Bank, Microsoft, and AT&T, served as mentors, sharing their career experiences and providing guidance throughout the day.
The workshop began with an introduction to cybersecurity fundamentals, grounded in the NIST Cybersecurity Framework. This widely recognized framework outlines key strategies for building resilience and preparedness in organizations. By exploring the five core domains—Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, and Recover—students were introduced to the diverse skill sets and responsibilities essential for becoming effective members of a cybersecurity team.
Each domain was explored through guided discussions at individual "Cyber Command Center" tables, where students, alongside their mentors, tackled real-world scenarios. This collaborative approach allowed students to share their solutions with the larger group, promoting best practices and deeper understanding.
In the afternoon, students participated in a cybersecurity-themed Capture the Flag (CTF) competition. Working in small teams, they navigated an online game board, solving challenges and answering questions with the help of online research tools. The CTF exercise encouraged critical thinking, creativity, and teamwork, helping students develop valuable problem-solving skills.
Lunch was generously provided by the Gateway Higher Education Cybersecurity Consortium (GHECC), a collaborative effort of five universities and St. Louis Community College to promote best practices and regional cooperation in cybersecurity education and training.
After lunch, students had the opportunity to hear from industry mentors about the day-to-day responsibilities of cybersecurity professionals. The mentors also shared key insights into the skills and traits that contribute to their success in the field. Students were provided with resources for further learning and career exploration, including materials from TeamPurpl.org, which they can share with their families.
The Global Center For Cybersecurty @ Cortex (GCC) would like to extend its gratitude to all the mentors, St. Louis Community College, and GHECC for organizing such a successful event for local students and educators. We look forward to continuing this important work in 2025.
The Secure Pathways Series and all GCC programs are made possible through the generous support of our 2024 and 2025 sponsors, including Mastercard, Enterprise, Edward Jones, BJC Healthcare, Cortex Innovation Community, Netskope Security, and The Regional Business Council.