The Diana Initiative 2021

Spark a Journey: Inspiring young women and non-binary people to pursue careers in cybersecurity. This initiative requires an adaptive, complex, richly stimulating and layered approach. In my home in the US Virgin Islands, those who are intrigued by cybersecurity careers face cultural and systemic barriers. My students do not see many people who look like them in this field. We can overcome this disconnect through offering targeted experiences, resources, and community involvement. This talk will present techniques and approaches with cross-cultural success in recruiting, highlight the work of Caribbean influencers supporting women in this field, and suggest pathways for current practitioners to help nurture female and non-binary learners from the Caribbean islands in their interest in cybersecurity.