Advisor to the President Ivanka Trump and Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson visited Prince George’s Community College (PGCC) this week to observe the GenCyber Summer Camp.

GenCyber is a program funded by the National Security Agency and the National Science Foundation with the goal to increase interest and diversity in cybersecurity careers and workforce in the U.S.

This is the second summer that Prince George’s Community College has offered the GenCyber Summer Camp at no cost to students in Prince George’s County.

Programs like GenCyber provide “exposure to the discipline but also exposure to the college,” said Dr. Christine Barrow, dean of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM).

She explained that the college is able to host the camp because of its designation as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education, which it received because of the quality of its cybersecurity program and its industry and business partnerships. M/p>

The camp, which has 20 middle and high school participants, exposes low-income and underrepresented populations to careers in cybersecurity and other science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields.

“Cybersecurity is one of the major industries in the Washington region,” explained executive vice president and provost for teaching, learning, and student success Dr. Clayton Railey.

Ms. Trump and Secretary Wilson’s visit highlights the significance of federally funded programs like GenCyber.

Serving nearly 40,000 individuals annually, the college is the first choice for higher education for residents of Prince George’s County. For more information, visit the college website at www.pgcc.edu.