News

The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville East St. Louis Center (ESLC) Upward Bound Program wants to interest some of its students in being war heroes of a different kind. 

The ESLC’s first CyberPatriot class is well on its way to learning the basics of cyber defense, a most important topic and line of work, that relates to protecting the online rights, safety and well-being of individuals, businesses and the country, according to Jay Hubert, CyberPatriot classroom instructor. 

“The class went on an informative field trip last month to the Air Force Network Integration Center building at Scott Air Force Base (SAFB) to introduce them to cyber defense,” Hubert said. 

Students met with members of SAFB’s cyber operations squadrons to learn more about cyber defense and to present the possibility of pursuing a career in the field. 

“It was an amazing experience to see what they do behind the scenes,” said Ziarah Luster, a student in Upward Bound EC. 

 During the visit, 1st Lt. Tasha Mayne and Lt. Joshua Mosby, both members of the 835 Cyber Operations Squadron, explained the importance of internet security and detailed the process to eradicate potential malicious network traffic. 

“Many big name companies are spending immense dollars to develop and provide innovative solutions to customers, unfortunately, cyber security is most often an afterthought,” said Capt. Edward Wilson Jr., a Cyberspace Operations officer and 15-year cyber defender. “History has proven that diversity is a critical advantage. We must involve people from different backgrounds to spark thought and innovation in cyber programs.” 

Capt. Wilson and Major Sgt. Cidelia Hagan are technical mentors for the CyberPatriot class, providing training to the students during class sessions. Also speaking to the students was Chief Master Sgt. Robert Devall, 375^th Communications Squadron superintendent and former Upward Bound student. 

“These are very intelligent young men and women,” Devall said. “I hope we opened their eyes to the opportunities available in the cyber security realm.” 

“This field trip is the type of experience that is really important for us to provide our students,” Hubert said. “They will have a greater buy-in and more fulfilling experience, when they see there are real people doing real work in this field. They can also see that what they are learning now leads directly to those positions.” 

“The SIUE East St. Louis Center is extremely proud to host East St. Louis’s first and only CyberPatriot team,” said ESLC Executive Director Jesse Dixon. “Our students are learning the skills and building the relationships necessary to pursue career pathways in the high-demand and cutting edge field of cyber security. We are grateful to the folks at Scott Air Force Base for their meaningful partnership.” 

CyberPatriot is part of the National Youth Cyber Education Program and gives instruction on how technology professionals protect the online aspect of businesses. 

“We learn what can be done to protect individuals, businesses and institutions from various cyber threats like identity theft and hacking,” Hubert said. “Then the course has a competition component, where teams of high school students from across the country are put in the position of newly hired IT professionals. A problem is sent to them and the teams have to protect their system and keep it running during the threat.” 

Upward Bound (UB) helps youth prepare for higher education. Participants receive instruction in literature, composition and STEM subjects on college campuses after school, on Saturdays and during the summer. UB serves students from the following high schools: East St. Louis and Cahokia (EC) and Brooklyn, East St. Louis Charter and Madison (BEM). 

With a focus on empowering people and strengthening communities, the SIUE East St. Louis Center is dedicated to improving the lives of families and individuals - from pre-school through adult - in the Metro East. Head Start/Early Head Start and a charter high school are among the programs that offer the community renewed hope and an opportunity to reach educational, career and life goals. The Center also assigns first priority to encouraging, supporting and improving the educational success of the residents of East St. Louis and surrounding urban communities. The Center provides comprehensive programs, services and training in the areas of education, health, social services and the arts. 

Photo:

SIUE East St. Louis Center Upward Bound students and cyber security related officials at Scott Air Force Base.