Our goal is to provide motivated high school students with an introductory cybersecurity experience defending computer systems, including hands-on experience with defensive cybersecurity practices – core skills applicable to any cybersecurity career.
Our sessions include expert presentations by guest speakers from industry- leading companies who have both deep experience in cybersecurity fields and insight into careers in IT security, network and cloud security and secure software engineering.
We’re proud to offer students valuable experience that can aid in qualifying for cybersecurity internships and scholarships in the future.
“Cyber Camp was super fun! The instructors were great about talking to everyone and helping connect us to future opportunities, and the lab instructions were clear and concise. I’d definitely take it again if I could.”
Why Cybersecurity?
Cybersecurity is one of today’s hottest technical fields, with some experts forecasting a shortage of up to 1 million of trained professionals in the coming years. Careers in cybersecurity can be incredibly rewarding, high paying, and are in demand worldwide in every industry.
NW Cyber Camp, conceived and launched by an Oregon high school student and her father, is now a program of the Oregon Cybersecurity Center of Excellence. Continuing the work started by the Kawasaki family, means offering engaging and meaningful experiences in cybersecurity education for Oregon youth each summer. NW Cyber Camp is both a vehicle for a student’s personal career development and a statewide workforce development strategy, supporting the cybersecurity sector’s need for talent.
Oregon House Bill 2049 (2023) established the Oregon Cybersecurity Center of Excellence at Portland State University to be operated under the joint direction and control of three founding universities: Portland State University, Oregon State University, and the University of Oregon. The NW Cyber Camp office is at Portland State University and can be reached at [email protected].
Funding
NW Cyber Camp appreciates the support of numerous public and private sponsors. Donations to NWCC can now be made through a fund managed by the Portland State Foundation.
In 2025, camps in Bend, Corvallis, Eugene, Klamath Falls and Portland have been funded through a grant from GenCyber, a program of the National Security Agency and National Science Foundation.