Aug. 1, 2022

This paid piece is sponsored by Dakota State University.

It took a village to put together the summer GenCyber camps at Dakota State University, President José-Marie Griffiths told campers at this year’s GenCyber Girls in CybHER® Security camp.

Announcements on the camp’s opening day also showed that it takes a village to inspire and educate the future workforce. Two businesses – Peraton and SBS CyberSecurity — were featured that day for their efforts to increase the number and diversity of students entering cyber fields.

Both have been active participants in this “village” for several years, offering student scholarships, camp supplies and other learning opportunities. This year, CybHER officials announced that Peraton has committed $25,000 annually for five years to help support the camp and offer student scholarships. The three scholarship winners for 2022 were Kanthi Narukonda, Marielle Klosterman and Annabelle Klosterman.

Representatives from Peraton were at Dakota State in June to announce a donation to the GenCyber Girls camp and present scholarships to three DSU students.

“As the world’s leading mission-capability integrator and transformative enterprise IT provider, Peraton approaches national security from the ground level. This means investing in universities and organizations that are providing the future workforce with the skills necessary to tackle critical missions of consequence,” said Rebecca McHale, chief information officer of Peraton.

“Dakota State University is one of the few institutions equipping students with real-world tools to excel in cybersecurity. Peraton is proudly committed to sponsoring CybHER over the next five years to create opportunities for this next generation of cyber professionals to thrive and see themselves in spaces that were previously male-dominated.”

SBS was highlighted for its support through the CyberChallenge program. A cybersecurity consulting and audit firm based in Madison, SBS challenges students to volunteer at CybHER outreach events and then provides for them to attend the annual professional conference Women in Cyber Security, or WiCyS. This has led to over 900 hours of volunteerism through CybHER’s outreach programs, which are designed to empower, motivate, educate and change the perception of girls and women in cybersecurity.

“Volunteering is an amazing opportunity that more people need to explore. It not only benefits the cause you’re volunteering for but develops important character traits in yourself,” said Chad Knutson, president of SBS.

At the conference, “students have a chance to see different career paths that might be available to them. Cybersecurity has a broad set of possibilities that most people don’t know exist,” he stated. “Students who attend WiCyS are surely inspired by all the successful women who have built careers in cybersecurity.”

Jon Waldman, chief people officer of SBS, said the industry needs more of these individuals in the workforce, and WiCyS is a great event to cultivate that interest.

In addition to the WiCyS sponsorship, SBS has provided scholarships for CybHER students as an expression of its passion to support the industry. As of fall 2021, SBS had distributed over $16,000 to DSU students, both women and men.

This relieves financial stress for the students so they can focus on schooling instead of financial concerns. Fall 2021 scholarship recipient Kinsey Pickering reported she was able to get rid of her third part-time job because of the scholarship. The support also motivates the students. Kanthi Narukonda, a doctoral student, said the support “is a great reminder and motivator to keep me pursuing my goals.”

Janessa Palmieri (left) meets with representatives from Peraton this summer at a DSU GenCyber camp. Pamlieri is a summer intern with the company. Also included in the photo are  DSU President José-Marie Griffiths and keynote speaker Bridget Bean, assistant director for the integrated operations division at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

In addition to financial help, both companies provide internship opportunities, which can result in full-time jobs after graduation. Janessa Palmieri has an internship with Peraton this summer, and an SBS internship led to a full-time job for Kelley Criddle Hesse, who is an SBS information security consultant. Others can find jobs while still a student, such as Katie Shuck, a cyber defense doctoral student and consultant with SBS.

These companies also support students before they get to college, evidenced by Peraton’s donation for the GenCyber camp. Additionally, SBS recently sponsored DSU’s Lemonade Camp, which used the traditional lemonade stand concept to teach children age 8 to 11 about business concepts, marketing, cybersecurity and community service.

“Teaching kids how to run a business and all that entails in today’s world is a fantastic step in creating the next generation of entrepreneurs,” Waldman said.

This is important, Knutson added, because “small businesses are a critical component of our economy and our community, and we surely need more businesses that understand cybersecurity or even provide cybersecurity products or services.”

SBS also supports future generations through events such as Lemonade Camp. General Cyber is shown with Jon Waldman’s business team.

Helping young kids understand the fundamentals of starting and running a small business is truly rewarding, Knutson said.

“This is another great integration of the villagers in our community.”

Chad Knutson and his Lemonade Camp business team

On the last day of camp, the students manned 10 lemonade stands around Madison, earning over $4,800 for seven local charities.

“Helping those passionate about cybersecurity to attend cybersecurity conferences and supporting the next generation are two of the most impactful things anyone can do to foster the next generation,” Waldman said.