Center for Cyber Safety and Education and (ISC)2® Award Eight Women's Scholarships

CLEARWATER, Fla., May 25, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Eight women just learned they will receive scholarships from the Center for Cyber Safety and Education and (ISC)² to support their undergraduate and graduate cybersecurity studies. The scholarships are part of the Center's broader program to unlock cybersecurity opportunities for women and girls.

"While women comprise just 11 percent of the global information security workforce, they possess the skills necessary to solve complex cybersecurity problems and influence real change," commented Patrick Craven, director for the Center. "We are proud to empower these women to develop and share their talents and secure us as individuals, the companies we work for and society as a whole." 

The recipients of this year's scholarships are:

• Saleema Adejumo, master's student in security and risk management at University of Leicester, UK
• Jan Buitron, doctorate of computer science student at Colorado Technical University, US
• Valerie Chen, undergraduate student in computer science at Yale University, US
• Mudita Khurana, master's student in information security at Carnegie Mellon University, US
• Ai Nguyen, undergraduate student in electrical engineering and computer science at University of California Berkley, US
• Avanthika Ramesh, undergraduate student in electrical engineering, computer science and business administration at University of California Berkley, US
• Serita Sergent, undergraduate student in cyber security, computer science at New York University, US
• Susan Wanja, master's student in cybersecurity technology at University of Maryland University College, US

Commenting on her choice to pursue a cybersecurity career, Ms. Ramesh reflects, "I aspire to apply my knowledge of information security to challenge myself both as an engineer and as a creative problem solver, finding effective solutions to malicious hacking and cybersecurity issues facing humanity."

Reflecting on what the Women's Scholarship means to her, Ms. Sargent said, "It will push me much harder to achieve my goals and help break the stigma for women in STEM, both in my community and all over the world."

In addition to these grants, the Center and Raytheon just announced the recipients of a joint women's scholarship. The Center also introduced a Girl Scout patch program last year that introduces and reinforces basic cyber safety principles with girls and exposes them to the cybersecurity field. The patch is available to all Girl Scout levels and to any Girl Scout troop in the US at www.SafeAndSecureOnline.org/girlscouts. And as part of its children's cyber safety awareness program created with legendary cartoonist Jim Davis featuring Garfield and friends, the Center introduced a new female character – Dr. Cybrina – who is a certified cybersecurity expert.

David Shearer, CEO of (ISC)², added, "Our most recent Global Information Security Workforce Study revealed we're facing a shortage of 1.8 million cybersecurity professionals by 2022. Attracting women to the field has the potential to shrink that gap. Our hope is that our programs will have a cumulative effect and cultivate women professionals in cybersecurity and other STEM careers in this generation and beyond."

As Ms. Buitron describes, "I yearn to make sure that women are included in this growing field and to reach out to the younger generation of women through mentoring and education to expand their numbers in IT and security."

The Center and (ISC)² have granted scholarships to 34 women since 2011 and grants $175,000 in undergraduate and graduate cybersecurity scholarships annually to qualified applicants. To learn more, please visit https://iamcybersafe.org/scholarships/.

About Center for Cyber Safety and Education

The Center for Cyber Safety and Education (Center), is a non-profit charitable trust committed to making the cyber world a safer place for everyone. The Center works to ensure that people across the globe have a positive and safe experience online through their educational programs, scholarships, and research. Visit www.iamcybersafe.org.

SOURCE (ISC)2