Whilst in the Sixth Form at St Joseph’s, Rhiannon Fairweather was part of the school team that made the finals of the CyberCenturion V (2020) competition. Rhiannon was recently given the opportunity to share her experience with Cyber Security Challenge UK from a competitor’s perspective.
In her interview, Rhiannon discusses how the competition not only expanded her knowledge of cyber security but also developed resilience. After three consecutive years competing in extremely challenging rounds, Rhiannon and her team were able to adapt and improve, returning with not only more experience but also more knowledge and determination.
In a male dominated industry, Rhiannon acknowledges that since her first experience with cyber security more opportunities, such as the CyberFirst Girls Competition, have arisen. Social media is also playing its part in displaying female role models, and guest speakers are showing more diversity in the industry. However, Rhiannon believes that more can still be done to encourage girls’ participation in STEM and cyber security in particular.
In the final part of a fantastic opportunity offered to Rhiannon by Cyber Security Challenge UK, she shared some her tried and tested preparation tips for those thinking of taking part in this year’s CyberCenturion competition.
Well done Rhiannon! It’s great to see you passing on the baton to the next generation of competitors and team leaders.
