VMHS students aim to connect older generations with modern technology
Mission, Texas - As the world becomes more dependent on technology, students at Veterans Memorial High School have noticed the growing importance of cyber skills. DECA students, Larissa Leal, Nallely Campos, and Cole Butel have joined together to offer free cybersecurity support workshops to those in our community who are often vulnerable to cyber threats due to a lack of technical experience and knowledge.
Mark your calendars in February to join their next cybersecurity support workshops. These free sessions are happening on February 4th and 18th at the Speer Memorial Library from 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. Coffee and Donuts are provided.
To obtain their certification as Tech Caregivers, Larissa, Nallely, and Cole completed a training course through CyberPatriot, which is a program created by AT&T and the Air Force. The goal of their project is to give back to the community by helping older populations recognize, understand, and safely avoid the online scams they are so often the target of.
“The certification required an 80 score or higher to certify ourselves as Tech Caregivers. This certification allows us to teach the older generations about modern technology and scam prevention.” Larissa said. “Although our course is geared more towards the older generation as they tend to be the demographic who needs our help the most, we welcome all who may have questions, or who would like to join our session.”
Through their initial workshop, the students discovered that many often struggle in noticing the early signs of a potential scam.
“We want to remove the fear of using tech devices by teaching people that their devices can be safe,” shared Cole. “We share all the red flags so that people can pick up on the signs before it’s too late.”
Their efforts have not only resulted in cyber security awareness but also in uniting families through technology and its possibilities.
“One of my favorite aspects of the course is teaching people how to properly create group messages on their phones, walking them through the process to connect with their family members. We go through all the basics and teach both iPhones and Androids.” Nallely said. “This experience has been rewarding in many ways, seeing someone have that moment where they have learned something valuable – their reaction is priceless”.
CyberPatriot is the National Youth Cyber Education Program created by the Air & Space Forces Association to inspire K-12 students toward careers in cybersecurity or other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines critical to our nation's future.