Calling All College Women: Exabeam Announces Third-annual Cybersecurity Scholarship Program

Exabeam announced its third-annual Exabeam Cybersecurity Scholarship Program. This year’s program is sponsored by the Exabeam women’s organization, ExaGals, and designed to support two women who are currently enrolled in an undergraduate degree program studying cybersecurity, computer science, or a related field. The first-place winner will receive a $10,000 scholarship and a paid summer internship in the department of their choice at Exabeam, and the runner-up will receive a $5,000 scholarship.

The scholarship program also supports Exabeam’s value-based initiatives Exabeam Cares and the Exabeam CommUNITY Council, which invests in various philanthropic efforts focused on education, diversity, and inclusion.

“Women are still underrepresented in the cybersecurity workforce. Through our internal efforts, we see the benefits of increasing mentorship and growth opportunities for women and people of all backgrounds first hand. We want everyone to feel welcome in cybersecurity,” said Gianna Driver, chief human resources officer, Exabeam. “This year’s scholarship program helps raise awareness that there are numerous exciting jobs in cybersecurity. Currently in the U.S., 600,000 jobs go unfilled each year in our industry, which puts an alarming number of organizations at risk. Bottom line, we need more women to help defend US organizations that are increasingly susceptible to cyber attacks.” 

Recent reports revealed women make up just 24% of the cybersecurity workforce. This gender gap and fear of not fitting in often rank as the most common reasons women do not pursue careers in cybersecurity. Exabeam hopes to decrease the gap by supporting the next generation of talent and this year, the company is honing in on giving women more exposure to the vast opportunities in cybersecurity.

To participate, applicants must submit academic transcripts along with a 5-minute video between May 26 and July 31, 2022. Instructions can be found on the scholarship web page. 

The video should cover the following:

• What inspired you to enter a submission for this scholarship?
• What – or who – inspired you to pursue a career in cybersecurity?
• Why is it important for the cybersecurity industry to recruit more women? 
• Describe any contributions you have made to cybersecurity or any field, i.e., volunteer work, personal stories, and any other relevant hobbies or extracurricular activities – and what they mean to you. 
• Tell us why you are the best candidate to receive this scholarship / remote internship.

Potential winners will be selected based on academic achievements, contributions, video clarity, and the response to Exabeam’s value-based questions.

The 2022 Exabeam Cybersecurity Scholarship Program is open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who identify as a woman, are 16 years of age or older at the time of application and who are currently enrolled (or have been accepted to enroll) in an accredited post-secondary institution of higher learning (e.g., college or university) with a minimum 3.0 grade point average. To learn more, visit https://www.exabeam.com/scholarship/.