A fun, game playing cybersecurity adventure for high school students
February 2, 2021—Registration is open for CyberStart America (formerly Girls Go CyberStart), which recently kicked off its 2021 program year to help expose high school students to essential cybersecurity skills in an enjoyable and free online learning experience. Students will gain access to more than 200 real-world gaming challenges that make cybersecurity fun for all abilities. CyberStart America welcomes all students with no technical education or experience and offers an opportunity to connect safely with other young people while many activities are on hold because of the pandemic. The rebranded, national CyberStart America program has been expanded to include high school boys, but the mission still includes a girls-only community. Also new is a Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) community.
Students and advisors (teachers and parents) need no prior experience to participate. Advisors get support through materials provided by CyberStart America. To get started, a school needs to identify an advisor and register the Club, or advisors can register themselves and individual students. Students can also register on their own.
Last year, 269 teams and 240 individual girls participated in the competition nationally. California ranked third in the nation for total participation with 29 teams and 102 individuals who qualified to participate in the National Cyber Scholarship Program.
CyberStart America launched in 2017, aiming to close the gender gap in cybersecurity by introducing more girls to a possible career. Since then, over 30,000 high school students have taken part in the interactive program. Like last year, California Department of Technology Director Amy Tong will serve as sponsor for the State of California.
Registration for the CyberStart Game closes April 4, 2021, and the cut-off date to qualify for the National Cyber Scholarship Competition is March 8, 2021.
Register Here. Register Today!