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Nearly 500 high school students from across the Commonwealth gathered at George Mason University for Virginia CyberSlam 2025, where cybersecurity experts from both the public and private sectors shared industry insights during a day of activities aimed at inspiring the next generation of cybersecurity professionals.
“What an event it was March 10, with 475 students representing 22 schools and six school districts from around the Commonwealth enjoying hands-on workshops and activities led by cyber experts from industry, government, and higher education,” said CyberSlam founder Chris Starke, a teacher for Loudoun County Public Schools who co-directed the event with the University of Alabama in Huntsville’s Jennifer Marden. “In all, 28 presenters combined to run 12 workshops - 6 for each of our novice and advanced students. It was truly rewarding to see students enjoy learning about cybersecurity.”
Students heard from keynote speaker Dolores Garza, Branch Chief of the Technical Operations Group at the United States Marshals Service, among others. Garza oversaw the creation of a cyber investigation unit at the U.S. Marshals and described the evolution of cybersecurity as a professional field. She encouraged attendees to stay open to new technological developments and emphasized the need for a hybrid set of skills that combines criminal investigatory techniques with technical expertise.
“Diversity in technology is not just an asset; it is a necessity,” said Garza. “The more perspectives we bring to problem-solving, the stronger and more effective our solutions become.”
Throughout the day, professionals led hands-on workshops in various aspects of cybersecurity. David Raymond from Virginia Cyber Range led a session on advanced Capture the Flag challenges, focusing on Wireshark. Greg Crabb from 10-8, LLC, conducted a tabletop exercise on incident response and deep fake technology, and Randy Benn from Claroty introduced students to the Internet of Things. Other experts leading workshops represented Vertex11, OpusType Advisors, the Idaho National Laboratory, the Drug Enforcement Administration, CYBER.ORG, George Mason, and Shenandoah University, leading workshops on drones, deep fakes, digital forensics, and more.
“I would like to thank our co-hosts, George Mason’s Department of Cyber Security Engineering and Loudoun County Public Schools, as well as the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative Northern Virginia Node (CCI NoVA Node), Virginia Cyber Range, Vertex11, CACI International Inc., Claroty, CodeHS, Widelity, Inc., and GT Edge AI for sponsoring this wonderful event that in four years has impacted over 1,600 students,” said Starke. “And, thank you to our exhibitors the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Mason Competitive Cyber (MCC), George Mason’s College of Engineering and Computing, GT Edge AI, and the Virginia National Guard 91st Cyber Brigade.”
One event highlight was a panel featuring George Mason students from the MCC club, Dylan Charnick, Dylan Knoff, and Danyaal Shaozab. MCC is known for its inclusivity, welcoming George Mason students from all majors and levels of experience. The club meets twice weekly, hosting impressive speakers, running workshops on cybersecurity skills, and forming teams to participate successfully in various CTF events throughout the year. During the panel, the MCC students fielded questions from the audience about degree programs at George Mason, the benefits of technical certifications, and how to best prepare for a career in cybersecurity. “Most cyber jobs are here in the DC area,” noted Knoff, pointing out one benefit of pursuing cybersecurity at George Mason.
CyberSlam fosters the cultivation of cybersecurity talent in Northern Virginia, where the industry is booming. This year’s event particularly underscored the opportunities in both public and private sectors that are preparing the next generation of cybersecurity professionals, ensuring they are equipped with the skills and knowledge needed to thrive in this rapidly growing field.
“I would like to thank CCI NoVA Node, specifically Liza Durant and Jordan Mason for sponsoring the amazing raffle prizes and their support for the Virginia CyberSlam, and also George Mason’s Elizabeth Dean for making this event possible,” said Marden. “We could not have done this with the support of George Mason, CCI, our presenters, sponsors, and of course our wonderful Virginia cybersecurity educators and students.”