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January 18, 2023

New UMGC Class Offers Credit for Workforce Relevant Skills Gained in Cyber Competitions

The School of Cybersecurity and Information Technology at University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) is piloting a new class that allows students to gain workforce-relevant skills while earning credit for competing in cybersecurity competitions.

Beginning in spring 2023, students will be able to earn three credits through the program by joining individual and team competitions, attending weekly meetings, and working on cybersecurity skills they would like to improve to increase their marketability to employers.

February 21, 2023

Baltimore Detective Adds Cybersecurity Degree to His Skillset

For four years, Aliyu Dabo—a single father—spent his days as a law enforcement officer and his nights as a student at University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC). He had a powerful goal: to earn a bachelor’s degree and move ahead in his career as a law enforcement officer.

Dabo officially graduated in December with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Networks and Cybersecurity from UMGC.

February 22, 2023

Women Fill Key Roles in Nation’s Largest Cyber Program

Three women—two of them women of color—now lead key academic areas in the largest cybersecurity program in the United States. Shalon Simmons, who was recently hired as program director of cybersecurity technology at University of Maryland Global Campus, joins Department of Cybersecurity Chair Helen Barker and Center for Security Studies Senior Director Loyce Pailen in the School of Cybersecurity and Information Technology. Together, Simmons, Barker, and Pailen bring several decades of academic and industry experience to the ÐÒ¸£±¦µ¼º½ cybersecurity program.

May 11, 2023 

Embracing Fear and Hardship Leads to Cybersecurity Degree

Now with her Bachelor of Science in cybersecurity technology degree, and soon to embark on a new cybersecurity position at China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station in California, Leticia Bledsoe has time to reflect on the rough spots along her trajectory. 

Her journey included homelessness as a teenager after her father lost his job and their house and the family had to travel to San Antonio, often sleeping in the car along the way. More recently, while caring for her aging parents, she experienced the deaths of her brother and sister. But fear, hardship, and challenges have also led Bledsoe to opportunity.

May 17, 2023 

Cybersecurity Team Advances to Hack the Building Finals

In May, the UMGC cybersecurity competition team advanced to the final round of Hack the Building 2.0, a virtual competition sponsored by MISI, an organization that helps companies discover cybersecurity solutions.

The ÐÒ¸£±¦µ¼º½ team was among the 12 teams selected to join the main event, Hack the Building 2.0: Hospital Edition, an in-person competition held at the DreamPort technology facility in Columbia, Maryland, from Sept. 18-22. UMGC finished 4th among red teams.

June 5, 2023

RSAC Scholar George Canfil Has Advice for Cyber Students

University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) has participated in the RSA Conference (RSAC) Security Scholar Program since its inception in 2016. Through carefully curated experiences, the program connects up-and-coming cybersecurity students to thought leaders, industry luminaries, peers, and conference attendees. The goal is to share knowledge, experience, and connections to enrich the discourse on how to stay ahead of cyber threats.

For George Canfil, who earned his Master of Science in Cyber Operations this spring, the experience was eye-opening. Canfil was selected by the cybersecurity faculty at ÐÒ¸£±¦µ¼º½ to participate in the 2023 program, which took place in San Francisco, April 24 to 27.

October 03, 2023 

Cyber in Schools Part I: Preparing for a Career in Cybersecurity

Since 2015, Aarti Sangwan has been teaching physics, pre-engineering, and computer science at Worchester Tech High School in Newark, Maryland. Seeking to introduce a cybersecurity curriculum in her school, she joined UMGC’s 2019 Gen Cyber Camp, which was designed to help area high school teachers inspire the next generation of cyber professionals, raise cybersecurity awareness, increase interest in tech fields, and teach fundamentals that strengthen cybersecurity education.

Arming children and teens with the tools they need to be cyber safe is a big part of her teaching methodology. In 2021, Sangwan was named Worcester County’s Teacher of the Year.