{"id":13398,"date":"2025-03-14T11:14:52","date_gmt":"2025-03-14T15:14:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/?p=13398"},"modified":"2025-03-14T11:14:52","modified_gmt":"2025-03-14T15:14:52","slug":"odu-shares-cybersecurity-knowledge-with-vbcps-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/odu-shares-cybersecurity-knowledge-with-vbcps-students\/","title":{"rendered":"ODU shares cybersecurity knowledge with VBCPS students"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Brooks Crossing Innovation Lab hosted a breakout session during the Cybersecurity Expo at ODU. Students searched a website to determine if their emails had ever been breached. Graduate assistant Helena Trent led the session with assistance from interns, including Wilondja Jacob,right.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By Cindy Butler Focke<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Jaira Rahman-Bowman from ODU\u2019s Undergraduate Admissions Office welcomed Landstown High and ATC students to the Cybersecurity High School Expo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

More than 30 VBCPS high school students recently visited Old Dominion University\u2019s Norfolk campus for an inside look into the world of cybersecurity.<\/p>\n

Coastal Virginia Center for Cyber Innovation(COVA CCI) hosted the first Cybersecurity High School Expo on March 7.<\/p>\n

Chief Administrative Officer & Program Manager John Costanzo said the goal is to provide students with the opportunity to explore the cybersecurity field.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to generate awareness for cybersecurity, show the value of learning cybersecurity and how it can lead to a career.\u201d<\/p>\n

Juniors and seniors from the Landstown High School Governor\u2019s STEM Academy and the Advanced Technology Center(ATC) were welcomed by Jaira Rahman-Bowman from ODU\u2019s Undergraduate Admissions office.<\/p>\n

She provided an overview of the college with more than 24,000 students and 165 majors, including cybersecurity with this year almost 1,400 pursuing the undergraduate degree. A master\u2019s degree is also offered in the field.<\/p>\n

Then, students rotated between three breakout sessions presented by the Brooks Crossing Innovation Lab, the Virginia Space Grant Consortium and the Naval Information Warfare Center.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
NIWC led a presentation at the Cybersecurity High School Expo at ODU. Jay Albert, left, and Kaila Riddick led students in identifying phishing emails, a common security concern that tricks people into sharing personal information.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

ODU\u2019s Brooks Crossing is an instructional hub and outreach facility for STEM learning, located in Newport News.<\/p>\n

Graduate assistant Helena Trent earned a degree in cybersecurity from ODU last year and is pursuing a master\u2019s degree in public administration.<\/p>\n

As the session\u2019s leader, she began with the definition of cybersecurity: \u201cThe practice of protecting systems, networks and date from cyber threats.\u201d<\/p>\n

That includes hacking, malware, data breaches and implementing security measures to defend against unauthorized access, data theft and system damage, she noted.<\/p>\n

Trent told the group she chose to study cybersecurity because of the job market and options in the field. \u201cEverybody needs cybersecurity,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Careers in cybersecurity can be very lucrative, she said. Entry level positions begin at a yearly salary of about $60,000, with those in specialized roles earning more than $250,000.<\/p>\n

Students were issued laptops and searched the website \u201chaveibeenpwned.com\u201d to see if their emails had ever been breached.<\/p>\n

Nicholas Tabor was surprised that a family member\u2019s email had been compromised more than 20 times.<\/p>\n

The ATC junior is interested in cybersecurity as a career. \u201cIt\u2019s an ever-growing and stable field, he said.<\/p>\n

VSGC presented a panel discussion on cybersecurity education and career pathways.<\/p>\n

CTEWorkforce CEO Bobby Keener said there are lots of job opportunities in the cybersecurity arena.<\/p>\n

\u201cMake sure you explore this space,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He noted a wide range of positions, including analysts, engineers, and those who work in cybersecurity policy.<\/p>\n

David Hopkins, a cybersecurity major, plans to graduate from ODU in May and begin the graduate program. He advised students to understand the businesses they will work with in the future.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a technical field, but also a personal field,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

All kinds of questions, from what courses to take, to scholarship and internship opportunities were answered.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
ATC juniors Lea Iguban, left, and Nicholas Tabor attended the Cybersecurity High School Expo at ODU. Both are considering careers related to cybersecurity.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

ATC junior Lea Iguban became interested in cybersecurity after being in technology clubs in elementary and middle school. She is considering a career in the field.<\/p>\n

Lea said she likes the idea of doing something to help people.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s always something new to learn and I like having different challenges in front of me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Plus, there are global opportunities, she added.<\/p>\n

Linda Lavender teaches network administration and cyber defense at the ATC.<\/p>\n

She said students gained a unique perspective about cybersecurity and opportunities in the industry.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe benefit is getting to go somewhere and experiencing it with people doing what you want to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Students asked lots of questions during a panel discussion hosted by the VSGC as part of the Cybersecurity High School Expo at ODU. CTEWorkforce CEO Bobby Keener joined virtually to discuss careers in the cybersecurity industry.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Cindy Butler Focke More than 30 VBCPS high school students recently visited Old Dominion University\u2019s Norfolk campus for an inside look into the world of cybersecurity. Coastal Virginia Center […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":13402,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13398","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13398","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13398"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13398\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13408,"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13398\/revisions\/13408"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13402"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13398"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13398"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13398"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}