June 24, 2023 (Los Angeles, CA)

After a 3-year hiatus, the SIILK/Regalettes Teen Leadership Conference resumed in person at the Expo Center in Los Angeles. Project Cyber was excited to participate in the event and facilitate a cybersecurity workshop for a new group of learners!

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SIILK and the Regalettes, Inc. are both non-profit organizations whose missions are to create a forum to bring women of diverse backgrounds together and support the educational endeavors of underserved youth, mentorship, and community initiatives. This one-day leadership program is designed for African American girls between the ages of 11-17 from various socioeconomic and geographical backgrounds and features interactive workshops focused on encouraging, empowering and supporting girls in their personal and academic journeys.

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Project Cyber introduced cybersecurity and took a deeper dive into an area within cybersecurity called encryption. The girls had the opportunity to play the role of a "cryptanalyst" (someone who studies secret code systems in order to obtain secret information) and decipher a series of "secret messages" to help the country of WannaWannaWillabee in their time of need!

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The cybersecurity workshop concluded with an overview of relevant cybersecurity careers. Reflecting on the workshop, one teen shared, “I always associated cybersecurity with computer programming and didn't realize how it was much more than that. I had a great time learning more about cybersecurity and working in teams accomplish our goals."

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Congratulations to all the SIILK/Regalettes Teen Leadership Conference program participants for a job well done!