The winner of the 2024 ESET Women in Cybersecurity Scholarship was announced yesterday, 21 May, in conjunction with World Day for Cultural Diversity. The scholarship is part of ESET’s global Women in Cybersecurity Scholarship program for women currently enrolled in a graduate or undergraduate program majoring in a STEM (science, technology, engineering or mathematics) field.
This year’s winner is Lucy Fidock, a dedicated and passionate student pursuing a Bachelor of Computer Science (Advanced) at the University of Adelaide.
This is the third year for the scholarship in Australia, and the second year the cybersecurity sector leader ESET is teaming up with the Minister for Home Affairs and Cyber Security, Clare O’Neil. Experts predict Australia needs a further 5,000 cybersecurity workers annually to meet the target of being the most secure country in the world by 2030, which is why the Cyber Security Strategy invested $8.6 million towards accelerating the cyber industry in Australia.
“To make Australia the most cyber-secure country in the world by 2030, we need to invest in the people who will defend Australians and our assets from this massive and growing threat,” Ms O’Neil says.
“The percentage of women in cybersecurity is growing, and initiatives such as ESET’s scholarships complement the work the Government is doing to support that influx of women.”
“We are thrilled to announce Lucy Fidock as the winner of the 2024 ESET Women in Cybersecurity Scholarship,” says Parvinder Walia, President for Asia Pacific and Japan, ESET.
“Driven by ambition and a passion for cybersecurity, we are confident that she will contribute significantly to making Australia, and the world, a more secure place. This scholarship is a testament to our commitment to fostering talent and diversity in the cybersecurity field. We are incredibly honoured to partner with Minister Clare O’Neil for the second year running and hope to continue this precious partnership to build up the next generation of cybersecurity leaders.”
Pursuing her passion for tech
Lucy Fidock’s passion for the field was sparked during a high school work experience program at a cybersecurity company, specialising in insider risk technology. This experience motivated her to delve deeper into programming and cybersecurity studies.
She has been proactive about gaining real-world experience through intensive training programs and capture-the-flag competitions and her choice to do research on malware detection evasion highlights her dedication to learning about evolving cybersecurity challenges.
Ms Fidock plans to work part-time in cybersecurity while pursuing a Master’s in Cybersecurity after graduating, aiming to contribute significantly to national security. Her academic achievements include a 98.65 ATAR, a SACE Biology merit and a perfect GPA at the University of Adelaide.
Scholarship aims to support women in STEM
The ESET Women in Cyber Security Scholarship was launched in 2016 to help support and encourage women who aspire to have a career in information security. A recent (ISC)² Cyber Security Workforce Study found that the actual percentage of women in the cyber security workplace has remained close to constant over the last three years, with women making up approximately 25 per cent of the security workforce. To address this issue, a majority of survey respondents said that they believe the best way to increase women’s representation in the field was to encourage women to pursue STEM degrees at university.
Applicants must be enrolled in or accepted to an accredited college or university within Australia, be an Australian citizen or permanent resident and have a minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA (or equivalent GPA in 9.0 scale)
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