Narendra Mongan from Indonesia and Rosie Sidal from Fiji, are alumnae who graduated with information technology degrees, and are both founders of the CyberSurf Club on December 8, 2016 after a conference trip in Missouri. They said after they discussed the idea with their professor Joshua Smith, a computer and information science professor, they had a solid idea right away of how to start the club and help students with their interest toward cyber security.
Mongan said, “Me and Rosie [Sidal] were the only two undergraduate students in that conference, and we received attention and warm welcomes. We were eating lunch with four people, and that’s when they showed us how to embrace cybersecurity as a profession. We told them there were only a few courses that included cybersecurity at BYUH, and we were not sure how many people might be interested in this field. They encouraged us to take the advantage, start a club and be the pioneers.”
When the two students brought up the idea of starting a club to learn more about cyber security, Smith shared, “I envision the CyberSurf Club as a way for students from all academic backgrounds to come together, learn about technology and cyber security, and have fun.
“Although the club is not exclusive to technology students, it’s a definite boost for CIS or other technology interested students. Technology is all around us, and it’s literally impossible to take more than a dozen steps at BYU-Hawaii without having technology of some kind around us.
“Having a basic understanding of the Internet, web sites, networking, programming, mobile apps, security provides significant benefits to all students. It can help with personal and family life, Church and service opportunities, and in all business activities.”
As a former president of the CyberSurf Club, Sidal shared, “The club has helped me develop leadership skills and has given me the confidence to plan and execute activities. It has given me the opportunity to connect with cyber security and IT professionals and helped me get internship and graduate programs that align my career and education goals.”
She said she was able to discover her passion of technology and learning on how to keep her family, friends and community safe. As a recent graduate, Sidal is doing her internship in Utah and waiting to pursue a master’s degree in information systems in cyber security during the fall semester.
When asked of his learning experience in the club, Don Baize, a junior from Hawaii majoring in applied math and computer science, used the metaphor of how to surf along the waves. “I've learned the beginnings of cyber surfing. I’ve learned how to locate and access files that would usually be hidden or locked.”
Mongan said, “We try to clear the most common misconception of people that hackers are bad. There are different types of hackers. The most notable ones are black hat hackers and white hat hackers. Black hat hackers steal our money and information, and they break laws for their own gain. White hat hackers hack systems to make sure everything is safe, and their main goal is to protect.”
The main challenge of the club has been finding officers and people who are interested in cyber security, shared Mongan. “Many students think they have already learned from classes, and there is no need to do extra learning from a club.
“Actually, what we discuss and learn in the club are not things that are typically discussed in class. There are some topics covered in class, but those just are the basic and foundation. We have connections with Microsoft, Adobe, Palo Alto networks, the National Cybersecurity Student Association, etc., and those connections benefit you for your future career.”
According to Smith, club members have done many educational and fun activities together since the club started. “We had done exploratory hacking exercises, invited guest speakers, and provided employment preparation and other benefits to club members. We also had social activities at the Hub, water park outings and pizza get-togethers.
In order to keep the club running, Smith said, “As with all BYUH Clubs, it’s important to have active student leadership, membership participation, and an advisor. The student leadership is essential to plan engaging activities that encourage members to register and participate regularly.
Volunteering in the leadership is also a great way to enhance student resumes, and is useful for internships, scholarships, and employment. For the advisor, it’s important to provide guidance to the student leaders, to help understand leadership, accountability, delegation, budgeting, and follow-through. When everybody comes together and does their part, wonderful things happen.
Mongan joked, “It was my last semester when I started the club. After I graduated, I became an ‘unofficial’ mentor. I don’t mind spending time teaching anyone who wants to learn about cybersecurity from the very beginning, or just simply learning with my peers.”
Baize said it takes club member’s enthusiasm to change student’s negative mindset towards cyber security and draw people in the club. He also spoke from his experience what is considered a good presidency. “A good presidency is willing to put forth time out of their busy schedule for the club. They should think about how they can help the club in some way every week.”
Writer: Vic Zhong