KnowBe4 Offers Women of Colour in Cybersecurity Scholarship for South Africa

admin August 15, 2023

3 minutes read

DEADLINE: 18 September 2023

KnowBe4, Inc. is the provider of the world’s largest security awareness training and simulated phishing platform. KnowBe4 enables organizations to manage the ongoing problem of social engineering by helping them train employees to make smarter security decisions, every day.

SCHOLARSHIP AWARD (ONE AWARD):

A 110,000 ZAR scholarship is to be applied to tuition, fees, books, and required electronics, and of that, up to 31,900 ZAR may be applied to on-campus housing. This award may be paid all at once or spread out over multiple semesters, including the summer session.

ELIGIBILITY:

Recipient must be a woman of colour residing in South Africa.
Must be an individual pursuing, or plan to pursue, a degree with a focus on cybersecurity, information assurance, or a similar field.
Must be a Matric or Grade 12 student, undergraduate student, or graduate student to be eligible. Ph.D. students are not eligible.
Must be attending a college or university in South Africa.
May be attending on-campus or online.
May be attending full-time or part-time.
If awarded: the funds will be sent to your school with instructions that it may be applied to tuition, fees, books, and required electronics, and up to 31,900 ZAR may be applied to on-campus housing. Awards are paid directly to the college or university; recipients do not receive the scholarship award directly.
If you are being considered for the award, you agree to a short video interview with KnowBe4. You must have camera capability for this meeting via computer, tablet, or phone camera.
KnowBe4 and (ISC)² employees are not eligible for the award.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

Unofficial transcripts from your current (or most recent) educational institution. If awarded, no funds will be disbursed until official transcripts are received.
One letter of recommendation outlining the following:
How long have you known the applicant, and in what capacity?
What skills or abilities does the applicant have that will support them in completing a degree?
What other information about the applicant should be taken into consideration?
NOTE: Academic references are preferred; however, you may submit a professional letter of reference addressing the points above.
Resume/CV – No more than three pages maximum. Do not include links to publications.
Essay questions are to be filled out in the application. Each answer should be no more than 250 words:
Describe your background (personal and educational) and accomplishments.
Tell us how this scholarship will impact your cybersecurity career path. What would receiving this scholarship mean to you?
What or who inspired you to pursue a career in cybersecurity? What makes you a candidate for success in information security, and what are your goals for your professional career?
When you graduate and secure a career in our industry, what steps can you take to “pay it forward” by supporting other women (currently in school, recent graduates, mid-career transition) new to our field?
Describe any contributions to the cybersecurity field i.e., volunteer work, articles, etc., and any other hobbies or extracurricular activities and what they mean to you. (Do not include links to articles).

SCORING CRITERIA:

Applicants will be scored by members of (ISC)2 and scholarship sponsors (if applicable). Scoring will be based on three categories:

Passion
Merit
Financial Need

NOTE: Not all applicants will receive a scholarship. Scholarships are a one-time award and must be re-applied for each year in order to be considered for another scholarship.