CYBER.ORG EdCon 23

As part of this year’s celebration, we launched our inaugural CYBER.ORG EdCon, a national conference designed to empower K-12 educators and education leaders to teach cybersecurity education, improve cybersecurity literacy nationwide and encourage the next generation of diverse talent to pursue careers in the field.

Supported by the Cybersecurity Infrastructure and Security Agency (CISA) and in partnership with the Maricopa County School District, CYBER.ORG EdCon 23 was held in Mesa, Arizona, from June 20-22 and welcomed over 300 attendees from across the country. The conference held 60 sessions, including K-12 cybersecurity workshops and breakout sessions focused on exploring new perspectives and resources, including Maricopa County School Superintendents Steve Watson’s Teacher Power-Up Series. Attendees received ready-to-implement lessons from CYBER.ORG curriculum developers and no-cost resources from industry experts. They also had the opportunity to network with like-minded educators and professionals on best practices for teaching cybersecurity in the classroom.

CYBER.ORG EdCon 23 recognized this year’s Educator Award winners, Bobbie Bastian (Adams 12 Five Star Schools in Thornton, Colorado), Bryan Hower (School District of Lancaster in Lancaster, Pennsylvania), Diana T. Mackiewicz (Eagle Hill School in Hardwick, Massachusetts), and Moriah Walker (Lakota Local School District in Liberty Township, Ohio) for their contributions to cybersecurity education and dedication to the nation’s K-12 students.

The conference featured over nine exhibitors and was sponsored by Palo Alto Networks, Amazon, CS for Success, Parallax, Inc., US Cyber Games/PlayCyber, Stanly Community College, Raíces Cyber, Black Girls Hack, AZ Cyber Initiative and Grand Canyon University.

CYBER.ORG Project Access

CYBER.ORG also kicked off the second year of Project Access in June, an initiative focused on introducing blind and vision-impaired students to cybersecurity and the possibility of cyber careers.

Funded through CISA’s Cybersecurity Education and Training Assistance Program (CETAP) grant, Project Access is a series of camps in partnership with local organizations that help blind and vision-impaired students between the ages of 13-21 develop cybersecurity skills and learn key cybersecurity topics. Each camp uses nonvisual techniques and is accessible to students who don’t have prior computer or technology experience, offering those with secondary disabilities hands-on learning and STEM career exploration.  

In collaboration with the Colorado Center for the Blind, we hosted students at the Colorado Project Access Camp in Littleton from June 13-15, where they learned how software and hardware integrate using a pocket-sized computer micro: bit and Python Programming Language.

The Virginia Project Access camp welcomed 15 students with six mentors in Richmond from June 26-30 in collaboration with the Virginia Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired, where they learned about accessible web pages, Linux operating systems and HTML programming.

The final two camps of the year will take place in Ewing, New Jersey from July 18-19 in collaboration with the State of New Jersey's Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired and in Leawood, Missouri from July 31-August 4 in partnership with Alphapointe and Enterprise KC.

CYBER.ORG Project REACH

CYBER.ORG also launched the first year of summer camps as part of our Project REACH initiative, a feeder program that connects K-12 schools to cybersecurity and computer science programs at minority-serving institutions to close the diversity gap in cybersecurity.

Thanks to a $50,000 donation from Amazon, CYBER.ORG is co-sponsoring summer camps at 14 Project REACH schools to promote cybersecurity and cyber careers. In June, we hosted five Project REACH events at Jefferson City High School and Clyde C. Miller High School in Missouri, South Mountain Community College in Arizona, A.H. Parker High School in Alabama, and Virginia State University in Virginia.

CYBER.ORG on Capitol Hill

In collaboration with the Girl Scouts of the USA and the Women in STEM Caucus co-chaired by Sens. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), CYBER.ORG participated in the Imagination to Innovation: Building the STEM Pipeline for K-8 Girls event in Washington, D.C. Alongside CISA and the U.S. Department of Education, CYBER.ORG taught our nation’s young women basic cybersecurity skills and demonstrated the endless career opportunities in the industry.

CYBER.ORG on the Industry Events Circuit

CYBER.ORG leaders and staff were also busy traveling across the country to attend over a dozen cybersecurity industry events and conferences during the month of June. This included the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NICE) Conference, Ignite North Dakota Conference, the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Conference and the Louisiana School Safety Summit, among others.

June is always our busiest time of year, but it’s also our most rewarding. We’re incredibly proud of our work to expand access to K-12 cybersecurity education and improve diversity in the industry.  

Thank you to everyone who attended CYBER.ORG events and industry events focused on cybersecurity education during National Cybersecurity Education Month. Together, we’re making cybersecurity and the prospects of careers in the field more inclusive and accessible to all students nationwide.