S4x25 Women In ICS Security (WICSS) Scholarship Program
Women represent 51% of the population, and 60% of those attending college today. And yet only ~12% of the ICS security community are women. It often is difficult for women to enter and thrive in the male dominated and often intentionally and unintentionally discriminatory ICS security field. At S4 we want to help try to change this for reasons of basic fairness, for the sake of our daughters, sisters and female friends, and for the very pragmatic reason that women, by sheer numbers, represent the best chance to deal with the shortage of ICS security professionals needed to create and secure the future.
S4 has had a Women In ICS Security (WICSS) program since S4x22. This year the program will focus on giving massive career assistance to 10 WICSS scholarship winners. The scholarship includes:
- A free ticket for S4x25
- A US$1,500 travel stipend (no expense report or receipts needed)
- Your own dedicated S4 Ambassador who will work with you before, during, and after S4x25 to maximize your time and attendance
- A custom S4 agenda to support your career goals
- 3 meaningful introductions that align with your career goals
- 1 on 1 coaching
- and more
We have set the bar high for this program. We want each of the 10 scholarship winners to be able to look back at their time at S4x25 as one of the most important events in their career.
Scholarship applications will be reviewed by a committee comprised of members of WICSS with the aim to select 10 highly motivated women (and one alternate) that will leverage the benefits of the scholarship and will actively seek to engage and accelerate the careers of other women in the field.
Key Dates
Applications Accepted: October 3 – November 15
Scholarship Winners Notified: December 2
Initial Meeting with WICSS Ambassador: December 16
Arrive at S4x25: February 10 (afternoon)
Application Process
Complete the S4x25 WICSS Scholarship Application to apply.
The application requests basic information and then you will be asked to complete the following seven questions. Since these answers are likely to be paragraphs, we recommend you answer the questions in a document and then copy and paste them into the form. If this is too difficult or not working for you, you can email your information and answers to info@s4xevents.com.
Profile Information
- Name
- Telephone
- Company
- LinkedIn Profile Link
- Highest Education Level
Application Questions
- Describe your interest in ICS cybersecurity & why you’re pursuing a career in it?
- What are your short and long-term career goals?
- What do you hope to accomplish in the next 3-years?
- What are some of the challenges you have faced thus far in your career and what have you learned from them?
- Describe a career success that has been meaningful to you and why.
- How do you believe a scholarship will advance your goals?
- If you receive this scholarship, how will you pay-it-forward to other women in the field and/or help serve the ICS community overall?
- Will your company pay for your S4 attendance: Y or N?