On behalf of Sinclair Community College and the SANS Institute, we are excited to announce our collaboration with the National Science Foundation (NSF) on the groundbreaking JumpStart into Cyber Summer program. This innovative cybersecurity initiative has been designed to engage and empower underrepresented student groups, creating a path for them to excel in the cybersecurity industry.
This program is meticulously designed to cater to diverse student communities, including women, Black, African American, Latino(a), Hispanic, and Indigenous students. We place particular emphasis on students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs), aligning with our shared commitment to attract, retain, and graduate students from diverse backgrounds in advanced cybersecurity degree programs.
The program kicks off with CyberStart, an online gamified learning platform aimed at inspiring and teaching the fundamentals of cybersecurity. High-performing students will then progress to the prestigious SEC275: Foundations training course, a program akin to those undertaken by industry and government cyber professionals. Upon completion, students will be prepared to pursue the highly regarded GIAC Foundational Cybersecurity Technologies (GFACT) certification, a well-respected credential in the cybersecurity industry.
As Monisha Bush, SANS Mission Programs and Partnerships Coordinator and a member of the SANS DEIB Task Force, shared, "By providing an engaging and accessible platform, we hope to inspire a new generation of diverse cybersecurity professionals, with a special emphasis on uplifting communities with limited representation."
We are grateful for the funding provided by NSF for JumpStart into Cyber, which reinforces our shared dedication to promoting job accessibility, small business growth, and economic security for diverse communities. We eagerly anticipate the transformative impact this initiative will make in bridging the equity gap in the cybersecurity industry.
The application window for the JumpStart into Cyber program opens on Friday, May 12th at 9:00am EST and closes on Sunday, June 4th at 11:59pm EST. We invite all eligible students to seize this unique opportunity. For more information and to apply, please visit: https://sinclairwfd.regfox.com/cyberstart [sinclairwfd.regfox.com] beginning Friday, May 12th. Please direct any questions to brittany.craig1@sinclair.edu.
