We have received more than 60 e-mails from interested candidates within the first hour of program announcement. Here is what some of our students have said:

Hello Awesome People!  

My name is Nina and today I learned about your upcoming initiative to train and help certify 100 women in Cybersecurity at no cost. I am so so excited and wanted to email you right away to wish you all good luck and to hopefully be considered for this amazing opportunity.  

I am about to graduate with an A.S. in Network Security from City College of San Francisco and I have been interviewing for the past couple of months. It has been quite hard because almost all places are not looking for entry-level, fresh-grad person to train on the job. From talking with people in the Cybersecurity field I had decided (before seeing the announcement today on LinkedIn and Facebook) that the CISSP will be the fist thing to tackle after I'm done with this semester. And when I saw these posts today, I screamed for joy, because sometimes the planets do align!  

I would love to be part of the lucky 100 women to participate in the training and to get the certification that will help me get my first job. I really think having a certification will help me show that indeed, I do deserve a spot in the field.  

Many thanks for coming up with this amazing idea! I wish you all the very best of luck and I hope to connect with you again when the application process opens up.

Nina B.

Thank you for offering this generous opportunity to further advance our presence as women in IT! As a woman who's made a career pivot from IT project management towards more technically oriented roles in the exciting field of cybersecurity, I'm eager to apply my aptitude for analysis and protective 'Mama bear' instincts towards the safeguarding of corporate information assets.  

I've worked as a SOC Cyber Security Analyst since March 2018 and will be transferring teams at the same company to work as a Systems Security Administrator. I earned my CompTIA Security+ in July 2018 and have begun setting my sights on the next certification. The possibility of securing a free CEH certification would be of great financial help since I'm early in my career and a single mom to boot. The knowledge gained from learning the material covered in the CEH would further add to my capabilities and progression as a cybersecurity professional in understanding the vulnerabilities and weaknesses of target systems, thus making me a more effective Blue Team member. Besides that, I think pen testing is just so cool!  

However, one of the biggest benefits in achieving my goal to becoming a well respected and capable leader in cybersecurity is the chance it affords me to bring other aspiring women up the ladder. I look forward to the day when I can offer mentorship and development opportunities to other eager and talented females interested in securing their future and that of corporate America's.  

Again, thank you for sponsoring this wonderful program!

Joey F.

My name is Joan G., a Kenyan woman presently residing in Kenya.  

The event "Cybersecurity certifications for women" on Eventbrite piqued my interest and hence i'm writing to you. My interest in Information Technology(IT) developed after a brief interaction with IT in my BCom degree course. I started appreciating how much technology has transformed every aspect of human life. And with time i've also come to appreciate how that also poses enormous threats in our daily lives. For a long time, i've been struggling to find where i really fit in the IT field. It's until recently that i've acknowledged my passion in Cybersecurity.  

There are many places to kickstart the Cybersecurity journey, and Ethical Hacker training, mentorship, and certification is a great starting point. Why Ethical Hacking? In order to gain credibility to help organizations protect themselves against cyber attacks. For instance, according to Serianu, a Pan-African Cybersecurity and Business consulting firm in Kenya, in 2017 Kenya alone lost approximately $208 Million to cybercrimes. This means there's a huge gap for cybersecurity professionals to help protect against such losses.  

I am fully aware of the distance factor which means i can't physically attend the training, hence if i'm given the opportunity to train with Inteligenca i'll commit myself to do a self-study and meet all assignments and deadlines accurately and within the stipulated time. Similarly, again because of the distance factor, i can make local arrangements for the internship, and any other certification requirements.  

I am looking forward to this journey with you.

As a young woman in the male-dominated IT industry, I have always been a minority and my experience in cybersecurity has been no different. I never imagined myself working in cybersecurity, but since my career transition into a Cyber Data Analyst three months ago, I have found a passion for learning as much as I can to provide metrics that inform security-centric change.  

I have always had the desire to increase my knowledge base in order to be as successful as possible, no matter the situation I am in. Because I am so new to the cybersecurity industry, I want to harness my passion for learning and pour that passion into obtaining a CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst+ Certification as well as becoming a Certified Ethical Hacker. These certifications will allow me to make my company as informed as possible about their security landscape and drive positive change. In order to reach my goals and further my career in cybersecurity, I need to be certified in Network+ and Security+ as well, and this program can be a huge help to get me there.  

It is important to create diversity in this field because diversity leads to new methods for solving problems, brings fresh perspectives to the table, and fosters a collaborative environment. Opening this pathway for Women will bring about new and improved ways that we can achieve and maintain a secure community.  

Thank you for considering me for this amazing program. 

Sydney C. 

I was very excited to hear about this offer from Inteligenca and hope to be selected to take advantage of it. I am most interested in taking the Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) course. I have been in the tech industry for 8 years as a help desk/network administrator and I am looking to advance my career into the cyber security sector. Specifically, I would like to have a position on a Red Team as a penetration tester or Social Engineer. I have been studying these areas for the past year and a half as well as involving myself in the security community at large.  

The CEH covers a large scope of the knowledge required to be on a Red Ram. Having this certification will not only expand my knowledge in the field of Red Teaming, but it will help accelerate the process of getting hired as it is typically required for any jobs concerning Red Teaming or Penetration Testing. 

Thank you for providing this opportunity to women in tech!  

Courtney K.