Cybersecurity Education Consulting
Inspiring Cybersecurity Education for High School Students
Hi, I'm Mandy Galante, owner of Galantech, LLC. I'm a cybersecurity educator, coach and trainer with a mission to help young people find their path into the cybersecurity field and to increase diversity. In my 18+ years as a high school teacher I created an innovative 4 year STEM curriculum incorporating Computer Systems, Networking, Cybersecurity, Digital Forensics and Programming.
This experience led me to author the Intro to Cybersecurity course offered by Cyber.org for use in high schools and middle schools across the country. I also lead professional development workshops and speak at conferences to train and excite teachers preparing to deliver the curriculum.
More Cyber Stuff with Galantech
Beyond the classroom
More than anything, I believe we need to make cybersecurity education fun! I've organized GenCyber camps, coached CyberPatriot teams and managed the GirlsGoCyberstart program for SANS. By going beyond the classroom with competitions, clubs and summer camps we can make a difference in recruiting new students into cyber including underrepresented populations like girls and students of color.
Garden State Cyber
I am a co-founder of Garden State Cyber, a non-profit created by a small group of NJ cybersecurity teachers who wanted to help new teachers introduce cybersecurity into their classrooms. The GSC mission was to have an introductory course that
- Does not require any prerequisite knowledge in computing or cybersecurity for either the student or teacher.
- Can be delivered completely on Chromebooks with no specialized equipment.
- Includes access to a cyber range for online labs at zero cost to districts.
- Incorporates the 2020 New Jersey Student Learning Standards.
We collaborated to adapt the materials I had taught in the classroom and this eventually became the Cyber.org Intro to Cybersecurity course. NJ teachers also have support through a Google group, extra lesson materials and PD workshops. In just 4 years we grew to over 50 amazing NJ schools teaching cybersecurity!
Certifications
Industry certifications are an important part of a cybersecurity career and many of the certs are accessible to high school students. I've learned so much on my path to completing these certs:
GFACT | GCFE | GCIH | GCFA | GREM | GSEC | GSIF| Sec+ | Net+ | A+| and my newest: Google Cybersecurity