This program offers two weeks of full-day sessions on the fundamentals of cyber security. The classes are held within the purview of the NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering. Kaitlyn applied for the program after learning about it through her mother’s job at Microsoft.
The goals of the GenCyber program are to provide an opportunity for young women to become confident in their abilities to pursue a career in computer science. As explained in the sample syllabus, this year’s GenCyber program covers career opportunities for women in technology, background information on computers and the Internet, and trips to Google and Facebook, among much more.
Kaitlyn said she is most looking forward to the second day of the program, which consists of a review of binary, an introduction to cryptography, breaking the Caesar cipher, and learning Python. Interestingly enough, Kaitlyn didn’t have much of an interest in coding or computer science prior to taking Mrs. Sharon Mistretta’s computer programming class at IHA.
“Once we started coding in class, I fell in love with it and realized I really enjoyed doing it,” Kaitlyn said. “My original plan as a career was to become either a pharmacist or a radiologist, but I am reconsidering those and looking into a career in technology.”
She also said she appreciates that Mrs. Mistretta is so open to helping her students understand concepts and she is excellent at explaining why certain types of code are used in programs. “If you didn't quite get a part of the code in a program, she is almost always available after school, in homeroom, or sometimes during a study hall,” Kaitlyn said. “Mrs. Mistretta keeps the class interesting with a variety of types of programs that we write.”
And Mrs. Mistretta has no doubt in Kaitlyn’s ability to thrive at the GenCyber program and beyond. “Kaitlyn is an outstanding student in my computer science course at IHA,” Mrs. Mistretta said, “and I am confident that she will succeed in this program and in a technology career in the future.”