How do you build a cybersecurity program that employers want to support, and that prepares students for more than their first job?
This was the central question at an October 29 discussion at the ACES North campus classroom, where visitors from countries including Egypt, Singapore, Brazil, Suriname, Mexico, and Ukraine met with leadership from the Honors College’s Advanced Cybersecurity Experience for Students (ACES).
The World Trade Center Institute (WTCI) arranged the visit as part of “American Excellence in STEM,” a multiregional project within the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program. The exchange connects current and emerging leaders from other countries with American counterparts to explore approaches to shared challenges.
ACES Program Director Professor Michel Cukier and Associate Director Cassie Harrington introduced the visitors to the program’s coursework, community, and corporate partnerships, showing how students develop technical knowledge alongside communication skills and professional relationships.
The program’s honeypot project drew particular interest. Working in teams, students deploy a computer or site intended as a “trap” for attackers and study the activity it attracts to better understand cyber threats. The project gives students experience investigating a cybersecurity problem, troubleshooting as a team, and explaining their findings, which are all skills they will use in their careers.
For Adilet Bolatkhan, program manager for American Corners and Makerspace Kazakhstan, the visit suggested an opportunity to bring hands-on cybersecurity learning to young people in his country.
“The ACES presentation was one of the most useful sessions of our program,” he wrote in a follow-up email. “I have funding to run a cybersecurity camp for youth in Kazakhstan in 2027, and I would like to build it in collaboration with ACES, based on their camp model.”
The conversation also highlighted how ACES connects students with employers through mentoring, internships, and coursework. Students explore career paths and build professional networks, while corporate partners get to know potential employees. Those connections can also help keep talented graduates in Maryland, which is a great benefit to the state and the employers who are based here.
Several visitors asked how they could develop similar sponsorships in their own countries or pursue partnerships with ACES. Harrington and Cukier described a process that begins with understanding each organization’s goals and identifying opportunities that benefit students, with partners contributing through recruitment events, mentoring, and course instruction.
Lianne McNaughton, who leads Youth Can Do It (YCDI) in Jamaica, followed up with an interest in ACES’ industry connections and cybersecurity curriculum.
“Our vision is to become the tech talent pipeline of the Caribbean, so this session resonated strongly,” she wrote. “I’d welcome the chance to explore whether any ACES courses, materials, or labs could be shared or adapted, and what a partnership with ACES typically involves.”
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The ACES program gives students the opportunity to explore the world of cybersecurity and its real-world applications all within a close-knit community. Students gain practical experience through close partnerships with leaders in the field and experiential learning.
