“I was born and raised in Bangladesh. As a third-world developing country, it is not technologically advanced and the practice of cybersecurity is not visible. Coming from this background it has been hard to join a skilled workforce who are technologically advanced, but I get more opportunities to flourish. I plan to join a role in a SOC team, and one day be a successful security analyst and penetration tester. This scholarship will support me immensely in determining the right path and my career progression.”

“I have a dream of representing women in board meetings as an Asian woman in a leadership role. As I take on leadership roles one day, my goal is to empower more women into joining Cybersecurity and IT. This scholarship means a lot to me as it gives me the opportunity to be mentored and it gives me hope. I hope to encourage women like me, who are trying to change their careers, that they can do it too!”

“As a woman majoring in two vastly male dominated programs (economics and information systems), I have to work twice as hard to prove myself. Economics and technology have a lot of potential to be intertwined to make our current processes more efficient, and I’m glad to be making progress breaking into these fields. With this scholarship I will be able to confidently pursue my goals of completing my masters and helping support my family.”

“During my schooling, I worked with anything techy I could, and became a bounty hunter looking for bugs in web-apps. As an immigrant and a person of colour I’ve struggled getting decent experience. I’ve had to work harder for everything, but I love it. One day I endeavour to move to Security awareness and training. With this scholarship at my back, I’ll be able to tell more people at my institution the fun that is the field of cybersecurity and its numerous perks.”

“I am the first-generation in my family to go to college. I plan on being involved in several IT projects here in Kenya, especially in areas that are underdeveloped. I also intend to start a technology company that will create employment for my fellow youth and teach my community the importance of tech in solving our problems. This scholarship will help me build networks with other scholars and professionals in my field to share ideas, experiences, and best practices.”

“Challenges to my education and personal identity were far from few growing up in rural Maine, as one of five individuals of color in my entire high school. I picked a nontechnical undergraduate major with lower costs, which initially pushed me away from STEM. However, it did not forever hinder my passion, as I’m currently pursuing my M.S. in Cybersecurity. Next, I plan to move into a Cybersecurity Agent and leader role. This scholarship would help me expand my education and certifications making me more likely to secure a cybersecurity job in the near future.”

“I began my career in IT working as the first female Network Technician for a CU in Maine. I was promoted to the first female Systems Administrator, and then the first female Cybersecurity Analyst. In 5 years, I see myself working in a Cybersecurity training or directing position creating meaningful, fun, and engaging cyber training content. As I move forward in my own career, I intend to support initiatives that support and encourage other under-represented communities. This scholarship reinforces my belief that I am working toward the right goals, and it motivates me to continue to do my best.”

“I realize I will be working at a disadvantage, as I am a multi-racial woman with a disability in this field. I use that knowledge as a driving force for me to work harder to reach my dream of using my cybersecurity degree to create a free anti-virus software and a non-profit. This scholarship will help me embark on this new mission to be the first line of defense for people and change the world in my own way. “

“As a bi-racial, multicultured woman studying Digital Forensics, it can be challenging to find myself represented within the classroom. This is why I strive to find and make connections with classmates and faculty that share similar experiences. I plan to explore auditing and consulting for IT and risk management, and one day would love to teach and expose others to information security. This scholarship will help further my career aspirations and development of leadership skills, especially as a student leader looking to revamp and grow the ISACA chapter on campus.”

“As a woman, I know the odds are stacked against me in terms of accessibility to career opportunities. Nevertheless, I persisted and participated in career development programs and met many successful women who served as a support system for me. I plan to pursue a master’s degree in Cybersecurity and one day become a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO). This scholarship gives me the opportunity to expand my network exponentially as I will be able to attend conferences and webinars, and gain a new team of mentors with my ISACA membership.”

“As an international student from India, this scholarship will help me cover the higher cost of tuition. This will enable me to pursue my research goal (I am working with one Ph.D. student to submit a research paper to IEEE S&P) and publish my master’s thesis. This scholarship will give me access to conferences, extra resources, and new people. I hope one day I can mentor and give back to this community.”

“I aspire to follow my parents who immigrated from Nigeria working hard for better career prospects. I strongly believe that opportunities like this scholarship will encourage me to continue following my passion for a career in cybersecurity. As I progress in this career, my ultimate goal is to become a mentor and a great role model for other underrepresented people.”

“I will be the first African American woman to graduate from my Ph.D. program at UCD. In pursuing my graduate studies, I strive to plant seeds of change for a higher representation of women of color in cybersecurity. Within the next 5 years, I aspire to be a lead innovator and researcher in the cybersecurity industry.”

“I taught myself the inner workings of computers and other tech to help fix things in my 1000-person village in Afghanistan, Wardak. After my Ph.D., I plan to continue my research career tackling the most challenging problems in the field. ISACA will undoubtedly provide the prospects necessary to launch such a career, and I look forward to joining the thriving community there.”

“I identify as the first generation to attend college in my family, Asian, and nonbinary gender. I want to diversify the pool in cybersecurity and show that all people with high passion for cybersecurity are welcome in this field. From this scholarship I hope to find a mentor to learn from and get advice on achieving my 10-year goal of becoming a cybersecurity engineer working in defense to protect my community.”

“I knew this occupation path is tough especially for someone like me who is an Asian female and had zero computing background when I first started my diploma. However, I made a decision to go down this path, as I am passionate about it. I plan on getting a masters in cybersecurity so that I can contribute to this profession.”

“Being a female in the field of cybersecurity has its difficulties, but I aspire to be a penetration tester and one day a chief technology officer. I have always wanted to start a cybersecurity club in my school, and the scholarship resources will help me do this. I believe this student group will greatly benefit my peers and other females interested in cybersecurity.”

“I’m a South Indian which is a very small group of people in Singapore and have faced discrimination. Due to this I have taken up the path of cybersecurity as I am able to help fortify the defenses of the internet to provide a better experience for all. This scholarship will have a very large impact on my future as I come from a low-income household and have to work while in school to support myself.”

“It is quite rare to find Indian Muslims in IT audit professions in Singapore. ISACA’s mentorship program will be a great benefit in helping me understand my career path. I plan on becoming President of my student interest group DISM Gryphons, and I am looking to land a job as a SOC Analyst in Singapore.”

“Cybersecurity is still a relatively new career path that isn’t talked about for most Singaporean youths. Some were a bit skeptical of me choosing it, but for me this is my fascination and chosen career. This scholarship gives me access to more events, webinars, and networking helping me reach my goal of being a red teamer, SOC analyst, or IT auditor in the future.”

“As a girl studying IT, I am given an opportunity to encourage other girls to try it and better represent ladies in tech. This scholarship will help me support my family, strengthen my connections, and allow me to be more certain of what I would like to pursue in cybersecurity in the future.”

“I am a young woman in business studying topics of finance, accounting, and information systems. In 5-10 years, I see myself working in Forensic Accounting, and then hopefully a CFO. From this scholarship, I hope to gain additional knowledge about technology that will advance my career pathway. I also am excited about the ISACA mentoring program, as I can extend my network to benefit from certified digital trust professionals and other speakers renowned in their fields.”

“I am an African-American woman who immigrated to the U.S at age 9 from Burkina Faso, and I am the first person in my family to attend University in the U.S. I am majoring in Information Technology- Computer Forensics, and hope to find a job in a Computer Forensics Lab. This scholarship covering my school fees will also help me move out of the transitional housing program I currently live in for homeless young adults.”

“In envisioning my future, I look up to my female coworkers knowing that my journey through IT will most likely mirror theirs considering how often they have expressed they feel less respected and less considered for promotions because they are women. I hope this is a rhetoric that changes as more women join the force. I plan to start my career in Software Engineering and Cybersecurity. My goal for my career is to become a Project Manager. This scholarship will help me be able to enjoy working and learning, and one day become a mentor!”

“I come from a low-income household and soon I will have to be the one to provide for my parents and younger siblings. My short-term goals include an internship with the software company Akamai. This scholarship will develop and strengthen my skills of networking and leadership. I also intend to volunteer at Black Girls Code and Girls Who Code after I graduate to help foster confidence in those who are underrepresented. I want to inspire young girls that there is a place in STEM for them too.”

“In India, the number of graduates rises every year with lacking opportunities. Post-graduation I am aiming to become a cybersecurity researcher and then an information security manager in a cybersecurity lead company such as Palo Alto Networks. This scholarship will help my career and represent my strengths to the world.”

“Cybersecurity as a whole is a field highly reliant on technical proficiency and certifications, which is something that is extremely expensive lowering the potential to pursue this opportunity. I plan to get into a good cybersecurity master’s program, explore the DevSecOps path, and dip my toes into the study of cryptography. This scholarship will enable me to take a significantly more comprehensive approach towards my career path.”

“This mission really helps people like me who can actually work well if given a chance. Right now, my aim is to get A grades in all subjects because I am going to pursue a pg degree. This scholarship has a huge impact because it is already a great accomplishment and gives me the confidence that I can accomplish greater things in life.”

“The ultimate purpose of education is progression and to make this happen it must be accessible for everyone who aspires to share their contribution to society. My career plan involves successfully mastering AI material, and I would like to pursue my PG in my own specialization. I consider this scholarship to be part of the skills and experience I need to achieve my goals in cybersecurity.”

“Over the next few years, I want to develop and explore skills in cybersecurity. This scholarship will hopefully help me find an internship, and achieve my academic goals.”

“I took a semester exchange in Japan, and hope to get placed in a company maybe even abroad. This scholarship gives me more support in my future and my career.”

“As a South Indian, I believe that my identity is extremely underrepresented in the Information Security Industry. After school, I plan on starting my own security consultant firm. This scholarship gave me the chance to prove my talent and skills in cybersecurity and encourages me to continue pursuing my passion for a cyber career. Mentorship from industry experts and gaining exposure to corporate culture will also help me in my goals.”

“I’ve been using various free open sources and free tiers to learn about cybersecurity, but eventually, they are not accessible. With the help of this scholarship, I can get all the important content I need to improve my knowledge. After B Tech, I’m planning to get placed in a leading tech company, certifications, and pursue a masters abroad. This scholarship is a boon for me and will help boost my cybersecurity and practical skill development.”

“India is relatively new to the field of Cybersecurity, in fact, my university is one of the few that offers cybersecurity as a course in our region. With lower resources available this scholarship is a good push for those who want to pursue cybersecurity. My plan for my future is to become a cybersecurity expert in penetration testing, red teaming, blue teaming, and SOC, and one day form my own company. This scholarship helps me access rare courses like cybersecurity, it gives me freedom to explore, and helps me tap into my full potential.”

“As a student who is not of the upper caste, this scholarship will prove to be very useful with better equipment and training resources required for a successful profession in the field of cybersecurity and IT. I plan to apply for exchange programs, complete my engineering degree, apply to Ivy League universities, and start my own company in the future. This scholarship teaches me what the company/employers require and prepares me for the highly competitive IT industry. This will speed up my career growth and ensure I’m successful in my field.”

“In the next 10 years I want to create a startup that helps provide jobs for youngsters like me. This scholarship helps me complete the Cybersecurity Fundamentals course.”

“After school I am going to get a master’s, and plan to improve my skills to get my dream company job. This scholarship is a great opportunity for me to learn from the course provided, and it will have a great impact on my resume and helping me find an internship and job.”

“I will be the first engineering degree holder in my family. I hope my career journey will lay a better path for the upcoming generations. My goals are to prepare for my placements and competitive exams like GATE or GRE and purse a M.Tech Degree. Being a first-generation engineering student this scholarship helps me show my full potential and achieve my dreams of making a difference to individuals, organizations and society.”

“I’m going to get more certifications related to cybersecurity and become a cybersecurity company head. I know cybersecurity fundamentals, so I’m looking forward to taking the chosen scholarship block-chain fundamentals course because web 3 is the vast growing technology in present.”

“As a student from a semi urban area in India, this scholarship provides an immense empowerment to my career journey and resume. I plan on doing my Master of Science in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence and later will get into research and development to innovate. With all these experiences, I’ll be starting a technical product-based company of my own in Silicon Valley. With the help of this scholarship, I can envisage a marvelous future in the industry that I dreamed of.”

“I am acutely aware of the prevailing gender gap in the IT industry. As a woman, I will always have to prove myself in spaces where men would never be questioned, but that is also why I am so determined to keep going. I plan on attending grad school where I will be focusing on research and learning in IT. I feel blessed to get this scholarship, as it will help me achieve my dreams and give me the final push that will allow me to build a successful career as a Security Analyst and woman in technology.”

“Not getting equal opportunity with others can severely affect one’s confidence and self-esteem. I’ve tried my best to challenge these barriers and I got into Hindustan University. My career goal is to become a Cyber Security Analyst and then build my own company bringing awareness and providing internships for cybersecurity enthusiasts. This scholarship will help me continue with my academic achievements and career goals.”

“I belong to India’s OBC (open backward class) community, and I am the first one from my family to pursue BTech in cybersecurity. I am extremely passionate in learning new things and then implementing those skills for a good cause. Being from such a community does affect me as I was encouraged not to enroll in tech, but I am very thankful to my parents who believed in and give me the opportunity to study in such a prestigious college. This scholarship will help me reach my dream of becoming Chief cyber security officer in a top MNC or National Bank, and one day this helping other needy students with their education and employment.”

“I hope to place in a good company after my graduation. This scholarship gives me more support in my career, and extra training in cybersecurity.”

“I started studying through YouTube videos and other free resources, and I was the first graduate in my family. I plan to work as a network engineer and will try to work abroad in Canada for more opportunities. This scholarship will improve my skills in networking further, so that I can build a strong career in networking.”

“As a woman studying, researching, and working in the IT field, I think it is part of my job to break the stereotype that technical fields are primarily associated with men. I intend to become a teacher at my university, teaching subjects related to AI and cryptography. I also want to pursue a career in research and publish innovative work on deep learning-based privacy-preserving methods. I am looking forward to participating in conferences and the mentoring programme, as I believe science can only advance through communication and collaboration by sharing and disseminating ideas.”

“Studying cybersecurity offers me the best opportunity to acquire leading knowledge on how to protect all categories of data from theft and damage. I plan to follow an advanced degree in cybersecurity with becoming a leader at a Romanian networking institution. This scholarship gives me fantastic real-world experience that will improve my resume and help me become an engineer and then hopefully a doctor.”

“I personally faced challenges of stereotyping and prejudice throughout my education journey, and in the pursuit of my dream career, however, I continue to strive for success. My goal is to pursue PhD research focusing on cybersecurity challenges in remote control engineering applications. This scholarship is crucial to my career goal as it will serve as a gateway to have access to learning hard and soft skills, helping me become a skilled professional.”

“Receiving this scholarship, I am sure will motivate other African ladies to be eager to join the technical world. I plan to pursue my Masters in cybersecurity, and eventually manage cybersecurity teams and raise cybersecurity awareness within my organization. I am really honored to be one of the recipients of this scholarship. I respect the organization’s reputation for excellence in career development and I look forward to gaining much knowledge in cybersecurity.”

“Based on race, culture, ethnicity, gender, and other factors we are all different and have different points of view, ideas, and solutions to a problem. I really think that diversity can help each domain to grow, especially cybersecurity. I also want to follow a career in this domain and become a university teacher to help others gain interest in this beautiful domain. This scholarship will help me by giving me access to events, webinars, and courses from ISACA.”

“In a technical field, gender equality should be promoted, as I truly believe that women are as capable of the same form of intelligence as men. Cybersecurity is about teamwork and collaboration, and we should promote diversity, equity, and inclusion, as it adds value to the whole team. I want to become a senior professional who can contribute with my experience to the research and development community. I see this scholarship as a big opportunity to develop new skills and increase my knowledge on topics relating to control, security, and IT governance.”

“I come from the countryside where the ambition expectancy is very low. However, this made me more ambitious, as I plan to graduate with a master’s degree in cybersecurity, complete a Ph.D. program, become a penetration testing expert, and teach students cybersecurity. I want to be a part of the community that makes the virtual world safer. I’m excited about the possibility to start an ISACA student group bringing more interested people into the cybersecurity field.”

“My goals include completing my Ph.D. and starting my own institute to help students get enough real market experience to be ready for work life. The scholarship IT audit course offered will improve my security skills acting as one of the base blocks of my security experiences that I can build my future knowledge on.”

“As a female, I can say that there are not many girls in this domain. It’s an exciting domain with many new things to learn and develop. I am working as an Identity and Access engineer and want to become a professional in Cloud computing security. With the help of this scholarship, I will be able to finish my project and hopefully implement it with a company. I think this scholarship will help me improve my skills.”

“To be of an ethnicity outside the EU can make it hard to be employed, but I want to build my cyber career here in Romania where cybersecurity and new technologies are already advanced. This scholarship has set me on my career path, and the ISACA course I have chosen will enhance my research studies and possibly influence my final thesis.”