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CAE Community of Practice
Cyber Defense

Working, Armed forces, Non-traditional, & Transitioning Students (WANTS)

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CAE-CD Working, Armed forces, Non-traditional, & Transitioning Students (WANTS) Initiative

This CoP-CD WANTS initiative includes a yearly workshop and an upcoming list of resources to be shared on this page on embracing and supporting Working students (full-time and part-time), Armed forces (military) students, Non-traditional (e.g., women/single parents, first-generation students), and Transitioning (e.g., veterans) Students (WANTS) with learning and other special needs who are enrolled in cybersecurity programs. The goal is to develop a working list of resources and tools that faculty members can use to help coach and guide WANTS students who need a little extra help.

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Initiative Co-Chairs

  • Idongesit Mkpong-Ruffin – Florida A&M University, FL

  • Haley Crabtree – Terra State Community College, OH

Initiative Committee Members

  • Julia Armstrong — The Ohio State University, OH

  • Denise Carroll — Simmons University, MA

  • Waleed Farag — Indiana University of Pennsylvania, PA

  • Amy Hertel — Texas State Technical College, TX

  • Sebena Masline — Florida State College at Jacksonville, FL

  • Katrinia McNeal — Mt. Hood Community College, OR

  • Debra McCusker — Alamance Community College, NC

  • Moussavi, Shamsi — Massachusetts Bay Community College, MA

  • Kay Ogilvie — Blue Ridge Community and Technical College, WV

  • Sergio A. Salinas Monroy — Wichita State University, KS

  • Alper Yayla — University of Tampa, FL

Invited Panel - February 27, 2025

​Title: Invited Panel for Personal Experience on Working (non-traditional) and Military Students Initiative

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  • Moderator: Dr. Diego Tibaquirá - MDC

  • Dr. Cecile Washington – FSCJ

  • Dr. Harry Cooper – APUS

  • Dr. Jerry Miller - FAMU

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Event Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLJpn31ZGsM 

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CoP-CD WANTS Resource Page

The CoP-CD WANTS Resources below are an initial list of resources targeted towards Working, Armed forces, Non-traditional, and Transitioning Students (WANTS) from this committee. If you have additional resources from your own institution and would like it to be shared among other CAE-CD institutions, please feel free to contact the WANTS Co-Chairs.

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  • Student Success Resources: Food Pantries, Professional Closets, Child Care Grants, and more!

    • Massachusetts Bay Community College

      • Cloths closet for both regular and interview apparels

      • Frozen food, snacks, toiletries

      • Dorm room through agreement with the closest state university, as our community college is not a residential college

      • Financial help for book purchase

    • Terra State Campus

      • Terra State Campus Closet: -food (non-perishable), toilet paper, paper towels/napkins, dish soap, laundry detergent, toiletries (for men and women), clothes for work/interviews

      • Student Brown Bag Sessions:  Student Money Management, Financial Aid Planning Smart

    • Florida A&M University

      • Interview Closet – Clothes for interviews

      • Resume Editing and Evaluation

    • Ohio State

      •  Cyber Canon: Cyber security books: Recommended Readings, Book corner: Cybercanon.org 

    • University of Tampa

    • Alamance Community College (ACC)

      • Food pantry - Enrolled students are welcome to pick up a bag of groceries once a week from the Student Support Center, Main 233.

      • TimelyCare - a new telehealth program providing ACC students with free, 24/7 access to licensed mental health providers.

      • Finish Line Grants - a program that helps students complete their training when facing unanticipated financial hardships.

  • Academic Success Resources:

    • Massachusetts Bay Community College

      • Resume writing, editing

      • Mock interviews by college’s career services center as well as industry employees

      • Internship resources and formal agreement with employers, because many students who take the last course in Cybersecurity program, the Capstone course, complete internship for it.

    • Attracting undecided students to cyber: https://trycyber.us/

      • Massachusetts Bay Community College

        • Strong connection with area high schools throughout the years offering tours, demos, invited to speaker series, promoting Cybersecurity programs at high school career events, offering workshops (1 to 3 hours) to both high school students and teachers

        • College’s Academic Achievement Center offers tutoring by both professionals and peers.

  • Scholarship Opportunities

    • Massachusetts Bay Community College

      • Offer two $1000 scholarships every semester only to students pursuing Cybersecurity degree or certificate

    • 2026 DoW CSA New Student Application

  • Free online courses

    • Massachusetts Bay Community College

      • Students are encouraged to take courses, study, and/or sit for certification exams on CompTIA, ISC2, Cisco, and ISACA

  • Cisco free additional resources beyond CCNA: www.netacad.com  

  • IBM Skills Build - search by topic

  • Cyber Competitions: How they can use these to boost employment

 

Updated: March 27, 2026

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