On December 7, 2021, at 5:30 p.m, the Board of Directors for Aaron Barnett Foundation met with the student ambassadors via a virtual meeting on Google Meet. The meeting lasted approximately one hour and fifteen minutes, and board member Steve Thornton conducted the meeting and asked questions to the students. He welcomed all students and began asking them what they were studying at their schools and their academic progress.
The other board members, Tim Kelly and David Cumbow asked the students about their well-being and educational progress related to pursuing a career in cybersecurity. As a result, the board became acquainted with the students' interests and learned more about the cybersecurity activities they are involved in at their schools.
The students informed us of their activities related to cybersecurity clubs and any involvement in teaching cybersecurity to their peers. The students indicated that they were also involved in volunteering, and encouraging other students to study cybersecurity. This is encouraging news for ABF because it helps in spreading the word for the next scholarship program of 2022.
When a question was asked about his volunteering activities in cybersecurity, one of our award recipients from Orange County, Ryan Nyguen, from Troy High School mentioned that during his time in high school, he was an instructor in the CyberPatriot program. He remains in contact with some of the students there and gives insight into getting the most out of their cybersecurity exploration through competitions and personal research. He also is currently exploring cybersecurity on his own accord and plans to take the GFACT certification test later in the month. He is exploring the interdisciplinary connections between engineering and cybersecurity.
Our other promising student ambassador, Jacob Jayme, shared his current academic status that he is currently attending Cal Poly Pomona as a CIS student. At Cal Poly Pomona. He is also involved with SWIFT as a technical assistant, helping with workshops and meetings. He also started the SWIFT podcast.
The Executive Director, Sabina Islam, also went over the Student ambassador's responsibilities and duites, article writing competition, guidelines, and awards as well as deadlines. Our President Zeina Ammar is currently on her trip to Nigeria so she was unable to join us.
A question was asked by Jacob Jayme regarding how long the student ambassador's term will last. Some of the students mentioned that they might want to stay longer than the year after receiving the award. It's a very valid point, and the board will look into it in the next board meeting.
We pride ourselves on awarding the students for the Aaron Barnett scholarships. Our dear Aaron would be so happy to see these deserving young students.
Among Attendees
Attendees: Board Members
Sabina Islam
Tim Kelly
David Cumbow
Steve Thornton
Attendees: Student Ambassadors
Ryan N.
Aidan M.
Alberto Yerena
Jacob Jayme
Mauro Rodriguez