SWSIS scholarship helped me to start my career in cyber security

I was selected for the SWSIS scholarship during an unsettled time in my life. I just started graduate school at Columbia University after a career change, and although I was greatly interested in information security, I didn’t quite know how I wanted to apply it to my future plans. I received a great deal of encouragement and advice from the mentors I met through my SWSIS scholarship that really helped me understand the opportunities available to me in the field. The scholarship also enabled me to attend ACSAC, which was my first time participating in a security research conference. The researchers I met there exposed me to a vast array of computer security innovation and inspired me to pursue a PhD in cyber security.

I am extremely grateful for having been selected for the SWSIS scholarship. The financial support and mentorship I received made it possible for me to further my studies in the field and helped me to clarify my long-term goals.

— Jill Jermyn, SWSIS Scholarship Winner 2012