Aaisha Khan, a junior cybersecurity major in the Honors College at East Texas A&M University, recently traveled to Washington, D.C. to attend the annual Scholars and Principal Investigators meeting hosted by the National Science Foundation (NSF) in conjunction with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). This meeting is to help build community, coordinate work and synthesize findings across the Scholarships in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (S-STEM) programs.

The NSF S-STEM Computer Science as a Career (CSAC) Scholars Program provides scholarship support and professional development opportunities for undergraduate students majoring in computer science, computer information systems and cybersecurity. Aaisha attended the conference as a participant in the CSAC program after being recommended by Amy Hays, a faculty member in the Department of Computer Science and Information Systems.

“Aaisha was selected based on engagement and participation in the NSF S-STEM CSAC Scholars Program,” Hays said. “The value is networking, skill enhancement through coding camps, industry talks, career planning and mentoring. Those are among the benefits for students who participate in the CSAC program and its conferences.”

The conference brought together students, researchers and professionals from across the country. While networking, Aaisha learned about educational funding programs and cybersecurity research through fellowships and programs. She also gained insight into the skills and qualifications needed for success in the cybersecurity field and learned about ways technologists can contribute to public policy discussions.

“These opportunities mean so much to me, and seeing other women in the field is so inspiring,” Aaisha said. “Almost all the speakers at that conference were women, and seeing that was so inspiring and motivating. It really put me in a place where, instead of thinking, ‘I can’t do this’ or ‘it’s not possible,’ I can think, ‘I can do this, and this is achievable.’”