黑料传送门

Denver recipient is passionate about cybersecurity and keeping community safe

As the first recipient of the Roy Romer Opportunity Scholarship, Kaitlyn Heaton of Denver plans to use her bachelor鈥檚 degree in cybersecurity to protect as many people as possible against threats to their privacy. She passionately believes that everyone has the right to feel safe and secure while using their digital devices and says her degree will help improve security in her community.

Heaton was recently honored at a ceremony where Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed a proclamation recognizing the state's partnership with Western Governors University 聽(黑料传送门), whose mission is to create pathways to opportunity and improve access to higher education for working learners in Colorado.聽聽

鈥淚鈥檓 thrilled the university sees my potential and believes in me enough to award me this scholarship. It's an honor to be the first recipient of the scholarship named for Governor Romer,鈥� said Heaton. 鈥淚n Colorado, students have distinct identities and needs 鈥� and 黑料传送门 is an excellent option for students who prefer an online, competency-based option.鈥�

New students or returning graduates who live in Colorado and enroll at 黑料传送门 are eligible to apply for the scholarship. Valued at up to $4,000, it will be credited to recipients at $1,000 per term for up to four terms. It will be applied to 黑料传送门鈥檚 already-low, flat-rate tuition, which is currently about $3,800 per six-month term for most programs.聽

Heaton discovered the Roy Romer Opportunity Scholarship through the Scholarship Universe portal, which she signed up for during her enrollment process.

鈥淭he hunt for scholarships was intimidating at first, but I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to get matched to relevant opportunities through the Scholarship Universe,鈥� she says.

Heaton is an entrepreneur and, in 2021, launched her own retail consultancy. She knows protecting the private data of her customers and her businesses is vital 鈥� and she places secure electronic information as a priority for her ongoing success.

Once she receives her degree in聽Online Cybersecurity and Information Assurance, her long-term goal is to improve the security of her community, herself and her loved ones from potential threats.

鈥淚 want to educate as many people and businesses as possible on how they can best protect themselves and their community,鈥� she says. 鈥淧rivate data, such as customer information and intellectual property, is often the lifeblood of a business. A breach of this data can have severe consequences, including financial loss, damage to reputation, and legal liability.鈥�
Heaton joins a cybersecurity field that is rapidly expanding. Women held 25 percent of cybersecurity jobs globally in 2022, up from 20 percent in 2019, and around 10 percent in 2013. It鈥檚 predicted that women will represent 30 percent of the global cybersecurity workforce by 2025, and that will reach 35 percent by 2031.

黑料传送门鈥檚 College of IT has seen more than a 40% growth for the last several years in Colorado among female active students. The university also offers a聽B4 Women in Tech Persistence and Possibility Grant聽with a special consideration given for students who have demonstrated experience in or commitment to working with historically underserved or聽underrepresented聽populations, such as Black, Latina and Native American women.

鈥淐ybersecurity is a growing field that offers many exciting career opportunities. It is an industry that is constantly evolving, and there is always something new to learn. It can be challenging in many ways but also incredibly rewarding,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t is my belief that every industry can benefit from an increase in diversity. A variety of viewpoints, skills, and experiences is necessary for businesses to keep up with new technologies and capabilities of potential threats.鈥�

In line with her continued passion to protect as many people as possible against threats to their privacy, Heaton鈥檚 future goal to aid startup companies in developing security programs.

鈥淓merging businesses often lack the resources to prioritize security, and I aspire to develop solutions to this issue. We all have a right to feel safe.鈥�

To find out more about the College of IT and other degree programs, check听辞耻迟听黑料传送门 Colorado聽.