Anne M. Dorner Middle School girls held their cell phones in one hand and wrote details of Ariana Grande’s life with the other –everything from the singer’s height and weight to her cat allergy and home address.
The students were following directions from IBM designers and engineers at the company’s Cyber Day for Girls at Pace University on March 28.
“All these little pieces of information can be put together … and can be used against you,” said Alexa Piccoli, an IBM security services consultant.
Thirty-five sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders from Ossining joined girls from around the region to learn about cybersecurity and how to protect themselves online. They also met IBM designers and engineers, discussed career opportunities in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering and math), and toured Pace’s Pleasantville campus.
Zoey Jowers, a seventh-grader at AMD, said, “It’s nice to see that people of all genders and races are involved in technology. It’s universal.”
Classmate Ella Castrillon, who attended the event with her twin sister, Lola, said, “They need more women in this field.”
IBM has been hosting IBMCyberDay4Girls events since 2016 to educate middle school students about cybersecurity.
