Earlier this week, Carousel’s Chief Information Security Officer Jason Albuquerque hosted a very special group of young ladies in our Exeter, RI headquarters to discuss topics near and dear to his heart: cybersecurity and how to use technology to improve our lives.

Fourteen members of the local Girl Scout Troop 478 (Daisies ages 5-7) representing Warwick, West Warwick, and Coventry visited Carousel as part of their journey to obtain their Cyber Badges. The event took place on the heels of international Data Privacy Day and it underscores Carousel’s commitment to making 2019 the Year of Cybersecurity Excellence.

“It was a fun and informative day for all,” Jason commented. “It is no secret that the technology industry, and more specifically the cybersecurity field, has struggled with diversity. At Carousel, we continue to look for ways to close both the diversity gap and the overall skills gap. It is my hope that when the girls we hosted this week at Carousel are entering the workforce, that gap will be a distant memory.”

During the two-hour training session, Jason covered a range of topics including:

  • Personal computing – how computers work and can be used and applied in everyday life
  • Personal security – remaining safe online and protecting personal information and learning cybersecurity basics
  • Computer etiquette – how to communicate with others in a safe, smart and respectful manner

The girls also participated in a fun and informative exercise called “Cybersecurity Investigator.”  This involved gathering information and collaborating to solve an interactive online puzzle by asking a series of questions as an important aspect of an investigation process. This also involved an “Identity Hunt”–a capture the flag type exercise that challenged the girls to find clues hidden all over the facility to identify the identity of a very important person–Juliette Gordon Low–founder of Girl Scouts of the USA.

Three girls who successfully solved and answered the challenges received a Challenge Coin from the US Cyber Command.

With Jason’s help and guidance, the girls completed all of the requirements for their Cyber Badges, but one last step remains.  Once they complete an online survey on the Girl Scouts website with help from their Troop leaders, each girl will receive their badge.