The North Texas Chapter of the Information Security Systems Association (NTXISSA) recently donated $20,000 to the Collin College Foundation for student scholarships. NTXISSA has held cybersecurity conferences at the college for several years, and the partnership between the college and the information security organization continues to flourish.
According to Chris Armstrong, president of the NTXISSA, the chapter understands the value of investing in community.
“Our chapter members are constantly seeking talented local staff at all levels and the consistent connection with Collin allows unique career opportunities for students and a route to qualified talent for our hiring needs,” said Armstrong.
According to Lisa Vasquez, Collin College vice president of advancement, this generous gift will go a long way to support Collin College students.
“Many people believe that Collin County is so affluent that there is no need for scholarships, but that is not the case,” Vasquez said. “More than 28,000 local students didn’t have enough money for college and applied for financial aid and scholarships through Collin College. We can’t thank NTXISSA enough.”
Scholarships Save the Day
Collin College cybersecurity student Ashley Jennings received a scholarship last year from funds donated by the NTXISSA.
“It was such a huge blessing because I am having to pay for college myself, so having most of it paid off was a huge help,” Jennings said. “I opened up the email, and it said you have been chosen to receive this scholarship. I asked my mom, ‘Is this real?’ My parents and I were so happy.”
Collin College computer science student Jacob Ward also received a scholarship last year from funds donated by the NTXISSA.
“The scholarship paid for almost all of my school,” Ward said. “It was a lot less stress, and I found a job to pay for the rest of school. You don’t have to worry about money for classes. I could even take more classes.”
Ward is planning to graduate from Collin College in May and transfer to The University of Texas at Dallas.
“I brought a friend to the NTXISSA conference, and I met some pretty cool people through it,” Ward added.
NTXISSA Conference Benefits
Armstrong adds that he has spoken with several NTXISSA members who attribute an accelerated career trajectory to the annual conference they hold at Collin College.
“Most IT workers are aware of conferences like RSA, BlackHat, and DEFCON,” Armstrong said. “It has always been our goal to produce a similar, high-quality, low-cost local event by leveraging the partnership between NTXISSA and Collin College. The latest annual event provided an extremely affordable option which included hours of Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credits, multiple Capture The Flag (CTF) events, local recruitment experts, cybersecurity companies and career opportunities with local firms, like State Farm, requiring this unique talent.”
According to Armstrong, this year his organization plans to extend an internship opportunity to a Collin College student to help make the North Texas ISSA Cyber Security Conference 7 (#NTXISSACSC7) another success.