SEC Awards Three Collegiate Scholarships for 2024-2025

  • Sep 03, 2024

The Security Executive Council has awarded three $2,500 scholarships to students of excellence at its partner academic institutions, which are recognized for their outstanding programs in security, risk, and intelligence.

Congratulations to the winners of the 2024-2025 Security Executive Council Scholarships:

Paige Bell (senior) Major: Cybersecurity; Mercyhurst University

Jon Lester (junior) Major: Cybersecurity; Kennesaw State University’s Center for Cybersecurity Education

Eric Locke (senior) Major: Risk Management & Insurance, Supply Chain & Operations with a concentration in Data Analytics; University of South Carolina’s Darla Moore College of Business

The SEC launched its scholarship program in 2022 to encourage and support excellence in the next generation of security leaders. Each scholarship is awarded after consideration by the SEC Scholarship Committee, which is made up of SEC staff, successful former and current security practitioners, and faculty from the participating universities.

"We are honored to see our students recognized through this scholarship opportunity, which highlights exceptional performance in cybersecurity and risk management programs. Such opportunities are pivotal in shaping students’ career paths, and we deeply appreciate the SEC's support," said Michael Whitman, Director of the Center for Cybersecurity Education at KSU.

"I can think of no one else who works as hard as Paige,” said Brian Fuller, Executive Director of the Center for Intelligence Research, Analysis, and Training (CIRAT) at Mercyhurst University. “Her dedication to her studies and professional growth is second to none. Having Paige represent Mercyhurst University in being awarded the SEC Collegiate Scholarship is genuinely fitting, as she embodies what the University stands for. Thank you, SEC, for providing another deserving student with this honor and our continued partnership!"

Greg Niehaus, Professor of Finance and Insurance at the University of South Carolina, said, “The Darla Moore School of Business and its Risk Management and Insurance program greatly appreciates the support of the SEC in sponsoring a scholarship for one of our outstanding students. For the second year in a row, the scholarship was awarded to Eric Locke. Eric spent the past summer as a risk analyst intern at BNP Paribus in New York City and will be graduating in December.”

Featured

  • AI Is Now the Leading Cybersecurity Concern for Security, IT Leaders

    Arctic Wolf recently published findings from its State of Cybersecurity: 2025 Trends Report, offering insights from a global survey of more than 1,200 senior IT and cybersecurity decision-makers across 15 countries. Conducted by Sapio Research, the report captures the realities, risks, and readiness strategies shaping the modern security landscape. Read Now

  • Analysis of AI Tools Shows 85 Percent Have Been Breached

    AI tools are becoming essential to modern work, but their fast, unmonitored adoption is creating a new kind of security risk. Recent surveys reveal a clear trend – employees are rapidly adopting consumer-facing AI tools without employer approval, IT oversight, or any clear security policies. According to Cybernews Business Digital Index, nearly 90% of analyzed AI tools have been exposed to data breaches, putting businesses at severe risk. Read Now

  • Software Vulnerabilities Surged 61 Percent in 2024, According to New Report

    Action1, a provider of autonomous endpoint management (AEM) solutions, today released its 2025 Software Vulnerability Ratings Report, revealing a 61% year-over-year surge in discovered software vulnerabilities and a 96% spike in exploited vulnerabilities throughout 2024, amid an increasingly aggressive threat landscape. Read Now

  • Motorola Solutions Named Official Safety Technology Supplier of the Ryder Cup through 2027

    Motorola Solutions has today been named the Official Safety Technology Supplier of the 2025 and 2027 Ryder Cup, professional golf’s renowned biennial team competition between the United States and Europe. Read Now

  • Evolving Cybersecurity Strategies

    Organizations are increasingly turning their attention to human-focused security approaches, as two out of three (68%) cybersecurity incidents involve people. Threat actors are shifting from targeting networks and systems to hacking humans via social engineering methods, living off human errors as their most prevalent attack vector. Whether manipulated or not, human cyber behavior is leveraged to gain backdoor access into systems. This mainly results from a lack of employee training and awareness about evolving attack techniques employed by malign actors. Read Now

Most   Popular

New Products

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.”

  • AC Nio

    AC Nio

    Aiphone, a leading international manufacturer of intercom, access control, and emergency communication products, has introduced the AC Nio, its access control management software, an important addition to its new line of access control solutions.

  • Automatic Systems V07

    Automatic Systems V07

    Automatic Systems, an industry-leading manufacturer of pedestrian and vehicle secure entrance control access systems, is pleased to announce the release of its groundbreaking V07 software. The V07 software update is designed specifically to address cybersecurity concerns and will ensure the integrity and confidentiality of Automatic Systems applications. With the new V07 software, updates will be delivered by means of an encrypted file.