Discover how SquadCon, a three-day conference organized by Black Girls Hacks, is transforming the infosec industry by promoting diversity, inclusivity, and empowerment among cybersecurity professionals, fostering an environment where everyone's voice is heard and valued.
Guests: Rebekah Skeete, Chief Operations Officer, BlackGirlsHack [@blackgirlshack]
On Linkedin | https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebekah-skeete-01270192/
Alshlon Banks, Chief Technology Officer at BlackGirlsHack [@blackgirlshack]
On LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/alshlonb/
Chloe Messdaghi, CEO & Founder at Global Secure Partners
On Linkedin | https://www.linkedin.com/in/chloemessdaghi/
On Threads | https://www.threads.net/@chloemessdaghi
On Twitter | https://twitter.com/ChloeMessdaghi
Website | https://www.securebychloe.com/
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Host: Marco Ciappelli, Co-Founder at ITSPmagazine [@ITSPmagazine] and Host of Redefining Society Podcast
On ITSPmagazine | https://www.itspmagazine.com/itspmagazine-podcast-radio-hosts/marco-ciappelli
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This Episode’s Sponsors
Episode Introduction
Welcome to another exciting episode of "Redefining Society," where we bring you inspiring stories and events that are reshaping the world for the better. Today, we have something truly exceptional in store for you – an event that not only celebrates diversity but also empowers underrepresented communities in the cybersecurity field. We are thrilled to introduce SquadCon, a groundbreaking three-day conference organized by the esteemed Black Girls Hacks organization.
Hosts Marco Ciappelli and Chloé Messdaghi Catching Up:
In this episode, Marco and Chloé dive into the world of SquadCon and discuss their excitement about the event taking place in Las Vegas. They are both enthusiastic about the opportunity to support SquadCon and its mission to promote diversity and inclusivity in the infosec industry.
Meet the Inspiring Team Behind SquadCon:
Chloé introduces the two remarkable individuals behind SquadCon, Rebecca Skeete, the Chief Operating Officer, and Alshlon Banks, the Chief Technology Officer of Black Girls Hacks. They share their passion and enthusiasm for SquadCon, which was born from the success of Girls Hack Village at DEF CON.
The Philosophy Behind SquadCon: Assemble and Embrace Inclusivity:
Rebecca articulates the essence of SquadCon – a gathering where people from all backgrounds and experiences are invited to come together, learn, and grow. It's a place where imposter syndrome can be alleviated, and individuals can feel welcome and appreciated. The SquadCon team believes that fostering diversity and creating a supportive environment benefits everyone in the cybersecurity industry.
What's on the Menu at SquadCon:
SquadCon offers a diverse menu of experiences catering to everyone's needs and interests. Attendees can expect insightful talks, engaging workshops, and exciting capture-the-flag challenges. Keynote speakers include influential figures like Camille Stewart Gloucester from the White House, Director Jenna Easterly from CISA, and Marcus J. Carey, author of "Tribe of Hackers." The event also provides opportunities for those who missed the proposal deadline to share their knowledge through recorded talks.
Closing Thoughts and Invitation:
As we wrap up, Chloé expresses her excitement for SquadCon and extends an invitation to all interested individuals in the cybersecurity community. This unique event promises to be a transformative experience for all attendees, fostering a sense of belonging, camaraderie, and growth.
Don't Miss Out – Join Us at SquadCon!
Whether you're attending in person in Las Vegas or virtually, SquadCon promises an unforgettable experience of knowledge-sharing, skill-building, and community-building. Join us in embracing diversity and inclusion in the infosec industry. To learn more about SquadCon and secure your spot, visit the links in the episode notes. See you at SquadCon, where we'll redefine society together!
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Resources
BlackGirlsHack (website): https://blackgirlshack.org/
SquadCon: https://www.blackgirlshack.org/event-5176921
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To see and hear more Redefining Society stories on ITSPmagazine, visit:
https://www.itspmagazine.com/redefining-society-podcast
Watch the webcast version on-demand on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnYu0psdcllTUoWMGGQHlGVZA575VtGr9
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Please note that this transcript was created using AI technology and may contain inaccuracies or deviations from the original audio file. The transcript is provided for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a substitute for the original recording as errors may exist. At this time we provide it “as it is” and we hope it can be useful for our audience.
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Marco Ciappelli: Okay, okay, no time to think. Let's get into this. Chloe! What's going on?
Chloé Messdaghi:Well, you know how everything is happening all at once because we're all about to go to Las Vegas for that entire week. So everything is peachy. Um, I'm so excited because there's going to be a conference called SquadCon. I don't know, Marco, if you've heard of it or not, but...
Marco Ciappelli: I've heard of it. I'm excited about it. I'm so excited that, uh, despite... Everything that happened in Las Vegas, because it has to happen right around that week. It's been years at this point that that happened. There is room for new things. And I think that's the really good thing. And I'm excited about this, and we decided to support the event.
And we're here to learn more about it. So, Chloe, I'll let you introduce our guest as you're co hosting today with me, which is always fun. And we'll talk about what this new event is all about.
Chloé Messdaghi: Well, I'm going to first have them do it themselves because I feel like they're better at it than I will ever be.
Marco Ciappelli: Yeah, we don't want to read a bio anyway.
Chloé Messdaghi: Yeah. I'm going to start with our hype person, Rebecca.
Rebekah Skeete: Ooh, hype. Okay, so I need to live up to that. I
Chloé Messdaghi: have her ringtone, by the way. It's her hyping me is my ringtone.
Rebekah Skeete: Special just for you, because you, in fact, are special. Um, so, hello. Uh, my name is Rebecca Skeet. I am the COO for Black Girls Hack.
And, uh, we are the creators, makers of, uh, SquadCon. It was birthed through, originally, last year, we had, uh, Girls Hack Village, um, as a village at DEF CON. And, you know, adapt and overcome. Things happen, you change, uh, as we are all familiar with in the cybersecurity industry. Uh, so, um, yeah, just like Marco said, there is room for something new, and we took advantage of that and created, uh, SquadCon, which is a three day conference that will be, um, in August.
the 10th through the 12th, um, at the industrial. And, um, yeah, that's the initial hype kick. And then Alsh to you, my friend.
Alshlon Banks: Yeah. So I couldn't have put it better myself, uh, back, um, as you your outstanding, uh, intro there. I don't know how I'll follow up with that, but my name is Alshlon Banks. I'm the CTO for black girls hack. And, um, as you can see, our, our, uh, our founder Tanisha wasn't feeling well. So, you know, she'll, um, she definitely left. in our capable hands to, um, to do the thing here. So, here we go.
Rebekah Skeete: Which is a perfect segue for the title of Squad Con. Um, Tanisha is like the Grand Puppet Master and has assembled a squad to support her mission and vision.
And, um, The people that you surround yourself with is important. Um, our network is important. And, um, we've benefited so much from the people who, Chloe, like yourself, Marco, yourself, who have, uh, supported us in our vision and mission. And we want to provide the opportunity for others who are like minded, uh, or, Not like minded and just want to hear a deferring opinion, uh, to assemble and, uh, learn from one another.
And so the squad con is kind of like a Voltron of, hey, everyone far and near assemble. Um, so yeah, that was a general thought process there.
Marco Ciappelli: That's a call to action right there. Assemble. Uh, I like that. Uh, one, one thing I would like to, to, to To mention is the fact that With some of these large events that has been going on for for a long time, you know We we don't need to name them, but they've been around for a very long time they kind of change as they Were progressing and we've seen that happen to many events related to hacking and the infosecurity industry And probably technology in general.
It's just get a little bit To commercial maybe to focus on business and the truth is that we still need to give space to people and the humans in the industry and that's exactly what you guys are doing. So, uh, Chloe, we have talked so many times about all of these and I'm going to go to you right now because I know you're going to have to.
Disappear to a magic act in the middle of this, uh, so your opinion, maybe on, on, on the value of events such as this one here,
Chloé Messdaghi: I think more than ever this year. It's needed because like in certain states right now across the U. S. They're getting rid of D. I. Practices and policies. Um, and you still you see what's going on, you know, in so many ways, which is Making us question about humanity and human rights.
And so having something like Squad Con is incredibly important because it's already, there's a good number of people that are marginalized in the community that when they go to conferences, they don't feel comfortable. And by comfortable meaning, like there's representation, there's people that look like you and I and all, and all.
And everyone, actually. And having a good place where people can be themselves, where they don't have to be nervous and where they can feel accepted and appreciated. I think that's so important. Cause when you're like marginalized, you're going to feel kind of lonely at times and alone and no one should feel that way, especially when going to DEF CON or Black Hat.
Marco Ciappelli: Yeah. Rebecca, you want to jump on that or Alshlon?
Rebekah Skeete: Yeah. I think, you know, with, um, clothing, sometimes they'll be, they're small, there's medium and there's a inside joke there with, uh, mediums, but, uh, oftentimes there's a one size fits all, and then there's the one size fits most. What we seek to do is to give.
Everyone the opportunity. I think sometimes there's nothing wrong with change. You mentioned, you know, things are changing or what have you. It's not to say that things have to stay the same. Um, still water never reaches the sea. So that's not the thing. We don't want things to become stagnant. We just want things to be productive change, you know, inclusive change.
Like, excuse me, we can grow and improve, but make sure that there's room for growth and improvement for everyone. And that in that change that we're not leaving anyone behind or leaving anyone out, whether that's yeah. Directly, indirectly, intentional, or unintentional. Um, and so, you know, one of the things, like the name of our organization is Black Girls Hack.
Some people ask, like, whenever we go to other conferences, hey, uh, can we join? Can we support? I'm not Black. I'm not a girl. And, uh, then we say no. You know, it's, we have a focus, yes, but all are invited, all are welcome. And, um, that's kind of what, The substratum of this conference is all are invited. All are welcome.
If you want to be involved, you can be if you need a space, you have one. Um, this might not you know what you've tried before or where you've been before might not have been exactly what you were looking for. And so we're saying here's another option. Um, what's interesting is that in different other avenues and concepts, people get it like it's not for fast food, It's not all just burgers, or it's not all just some other vegan option, but you have different options because people have different appetites.
And so essentially what we're saying is, Hey, we're, we're a new item on the menu. You know, it's healthy, good for you. Delicious and nutritious. Try it out.
Alshlon Banks: Right. I couldn't put it better myself back. Um, I like to think of it, like, you know, like it's almost like a diamond in a rough, you know, it's, people need a chance to see kind of.
What it's like to have that. You know opportunity to to okay i'm interested in this But i'm scared or I I don't have the resources to be able to get to a certain point That's what we're here for We like hey, you know what we can we can give you that we can get you that training We can uh, we can we can put you on the right path here and You never know.
It, it, it, it happens just like that. You, you'll find your, your next greatest, uh, pen tester or, or whatever have you and, and, and, and it wouldn't have been a, it wouldn't have been possible if we didn't, uh, provide that, that. You know, that forum that that place for them to come and, um, and feel comfortable.
And that's very important to feel comfortable because I've been to many, uh, conferences. I remember I went to one conference and, um, I walked into, uh, a CTF and was like, Oh my gosh, what this is beyond me. I was like, nervous. I'm scared. I'm like, I can't do this. I don't, I don't know. See with us, we're like, Hey, you know what?
We're all learning. We're all gonna go do this. Come sit down. We're gonna, we're gonna do this together. You know, we, we, we're gonna, we're gonna hold your hand. We're gonna, we're gonna do this. And I think that's very important, because I know how I felt, so that's, that's, that's what we're, that's what we're about.
Rebekah Skeete: Yeah, and all, all parts of that spectrum too, um, just because I think sometimes people will conflate incapable with unfamiliar, um, and some people just haven't had the exposure, and so to be able to be in the room, Where they can still associate with people who are a little bit further in their career.
They've had more experience and they can glean information from them. And then it's also beneficial to the people who've been there for a while because now they have fresh eyes. They have a new way to experience things. So we benefit from each other. Um, you don't want to, and not pointing fingers or anything.
It's just the, sometimes people get into an echo chamber. And they're like, I'm an expert. I only want to be around experts. Okay, fine. Um, I think you limit yourself when you do that. There are some times where you benefit from, you know, Passing the ball around with people who are on the same level, but more often than not, when you have, uh, not just when we mentioned diversity, yes, diversity in background, diversity in all of these different areas, because there's so many different things that people can bring to the table.
Um, and so, We also shouldn't get so high and mighty for the people who have been there for a while who's a little bit more veteran in the industry and say, Oh, I'm helping you, young plebe. Come along. It also benefits them to have that experience. So it's a symbiotic relationship.
Chloé Messdaghi: It does. It definitely sounds like SquadCon is also, you're creating an environment where people can probably reduce imposter syndrome when attending these type of conferences because they see people and they're like, Oh, I fit here, but also it's like, you know, no matter what your level is, you're going to feel welcome and appreciated.
And I think sometimes people, when they go to DEF CON, it's so overwhelming. And like you were saying, like, You feel kind of deflated, like you just don't know where you are on skill level, but everyone seems like they know what they're doing, but they're probably don't know what they're doing.
Alshlon Banks: It's so interesting.
It's so interesting. Like, uh, last year I've, I got so many, um, people that walked up to me and was like, you know, you're, you're, you're a village. That's when we're. At DEF CON, your village was so inviting. I felt like at home, I, like, I didn't feel like out of place and I was able to, uh, enjoy it. So you guys keep up what you're doing.
So, you know, it just goes to what you're saying, uh, Chloe.
Rebekah Skeete: No, you know, the imposter syndrome, I was just going to say, even if it doesn't remove it, like I'm, I'm not questioning myself because I see where I belong. It also. In its existence, to know that other people who I look up to also feel the same makes it feel less of, um, a detrimental.
issue with me. Like that's part of the thing. Like, um, if, if I got hungry and I never knew that anyone else was hungry, I would think there's something wrong with my hunger, but it's, there's nothing wrong with that. It means I need to feed myself. It's my body letting me know that there is a need that has to be met.
And sometimes I think imposter syndrome can be leveraged. I know when I first started out, it's because I had the chip on my shoulders, because I was trying to prove myself Excuse me, getting choked up. Because I was trying to prove myself, I worked harder and I did more, um, to not only prove myself to others, but to prove myself to myself.
So sometimes being, uh, knowing that other people who, you know, you look up to, you esteem, are doing, are feeling the same things, it, it helps you then leverage, take that thing that was originally negative and leverage it for good.
Marco Ciappelli: Yeah, I was going to jump on this because Sometimes you overcompensate too when you, when you feel that imposter syndrome and you're in the middle of so many people that look like Chloe said, they all look amazing.
Like they all look the part. They all know what they're talking about. But do they? I mean, sometimes they may overcompensate. It's like, you know, beware of people that come to you and say, Hey, You know, I'm not a pessimistic person. I usually think they are going to be very pessimistic just because they're putting their hands on.
So it's very psychological here. Um, and then you bring the menu and the food. Uh, you know, a metaphor. So I'm going to go with that. So I'd like to know from you guys, what's on the menu at, uh, at SquadCon, what people can expect. I know they're going to be talk, but capture the flag. What else? It's kind of, so
Rebekah Skeete: our menu options cater to everyone's dietary restrictions.
So, um, we're going to have a little bit of everything. We will have talks. We're going to have, uh, workshops. Um, There's going to be a workshops on the main stage that will be visible to those who join virtually as well. And then we'll have, um, challenges that are, uh, available for people to do who are virtual and they can do through our, um, I know this is about to go live, our CTF thing that, um, one of our, uh, Volunteers is working on.
And then, um, we'll have keynotes, uh, presented by, on day one will be Camille Stewart Gloucester, uh, who works for, uh, with the White House for the National Cyber Director. There's so many words in there. She's super impressive, by the way. Um, and then day two will be, uh, keynoted by Director Jenna Easterly.
Mm hmm. Director of CISA, CISA or CISA, tomato, tomato, however you choose to pronounce it. And then day three will be keynoted by Marcus J. Carey. Um, I know he's authored, uh, Tribe of Hackers. And, um, we'll have people talking about ransomware, um, A very talented and fantastic individual. I'm not sure if you're familiar with her.
Chloe will also be, um, excuse me, presenting. So it's a little bit of everything. Um, and the other thing that we recently, um, Uh, gave the option for is that for, uh, we have a couple slots, but if anyone was still interested in presenting that missed the, um, deadline for call for proposals, they can do a recorded talk and we can make that available online for our virtual participants as well.
Right.
Marco Ciappelli: All right, Chloe. I know you have to have to run. You're in a hat. So last few words and then you'll come back again. We're going to talk more about this.
Chloé Messdaghi: Right. Um, I'm just excited. Ecstatic for squad con. I've been looking so forward to it. I remember when Tanisha was talking about it with me and I was like, yes, this is happening.
I'm so excited. Um, and yeah, I, you know, if there's anything that anyone in the community can do or anything that like we can do, like, let us know. Cause we'll be, we have to be your hype too. Okay. Rebecca. Okay, you can't do that job on your own.
Rebekah Skeete: All right. Yeah, I'm learning. Thank you.
Marco Ciappelli: All right, we're gonna, we're gonna let you go.
And we're going to keep going with the conversation for another 10 minutes or so.
Chloé Messdaghi: Yeah. See you at squadcon.
Marco Ciappelli: See you there. All right, so here we are. Back, uh, back on track after saying goodbye. Uh, let's keep going with that because, you know, part of when we do coverage of ITSP magazine, either they're big or small, that the point is always the same.
We want to get people excited about it. We want people to show up. And I have to say, I love the fact that a lot of events, and you mentioned that are still available. virtually, because I think that's part of inclusion as well. I was very afraid that the big conferences will go back to not have that. Um, some actually ended up not having that.
I was in Europe not too long ago. I'm not gonna, you know, go too deep into that. But I was disappointed that was not like showing to everyone. Not everybody can afford a few days in Vegas is Damn expensive. I mean, I'm in LA, I can drive, but if you also have to fly, it's pretty bad. So let's keep talking about this, like the, even the vision for the future, uh, you know, this is the first step of something that I hope it's going to become an institution of summer camp.
So, um,
Shlalom: Yeah, definitely, definitely. Um, this is the first step of something bigger. And, you know, we like to, uh, um, you know, keep, keep the ball moving on this basically, um, because we see the need and we, we want to be able to be that, that, that resource, as I was saying before, for those that may not otherwise have an opportunity to, to, uh, to, you Participate in something like this and see what's available that they that may have piqued their interest, but they hadn't had a chance to or the opportunity to to dive into it to see if they if this is really for them.
You know, and that's the most important thing. I mean, I get I'm involved in a lot of conversations with people that that are trying to, uh, break into cyber security. And I first thing I tell them is you have to, like, figure out which because cyber security is like a big, big umbrella, as you know. So you, you, you don't want to go down the rabbit hole and, and, and find yourself just spend around and not, not knowing top from bottom or whatever have you, you want to be able to get some type of focus.
And, and that I think is like. The best advice that I can give you want it. You want to be able to focus it down and into what what's available and what what peaks your interest. And that's what we try to provide, you know, at at the lowest cost possible, if not free, because, like you said, not everybody can afford to.
To go to conferences or, or take this training or that training, you know, that's what we look to do. You know, it's a lot of, it's a lot of gatekeeping in, in, in certain aspects. And that, like, that's one of my things that I hate to see. Cause it's like, you don't know who you're turning away. You don't know by, by doing it like this and putting a price point so high that they can't, you know, take advantage of it.
So, um, you know, like I said, this is, this is only the beginning and we're going to get better and better because I believe in what we're doing. So
Rebekah Skeete: it's like the, you ain't seen nothing yet. Um, we, one, I'm proud that even with this being our first standalone event, um, it's not going to look that way. And.
The level of excellence that the planning committee and team, uh, have put forth in, um, making sure that we provide a A list executive experience to everyone. Um, it won't look like it's a first time event. And from here, we're just going to learn more, grow more, um, but we don't want to do that in a way That then betrays what we started off to do.
Um, we want to grow and enhance mindful of our initial mission and the people that we intend to serve so that we don't want to then become what we're seeking to avoid and leave people behind. So, um, as we grow and as we improve, it's going to be with our tenants in mind, um, like our black girl tag.
tenants are to empower, educate, and prepare. And that is at the substratum of everything that we do. We want to make sure that we remove as many, um, barriers, uh, that people have to entry and to community, um, and to provide support. So, yeah, like, uh, I'll say this is just the beginning and, um, it's only up from here.
Marco Ciappelli: As we talk about the future and we talk about what's about to happen very soon, uh, maybe we'll help to give a very quick background on, uh, black Girls Hawk, which is a nonprofit and that. I know it's been growing pretty, pretty fast and pretty quick. So you guys are definitely doing something very important. And maybe as well as you, as you say that, uh, tell us a little bit of the story, uh, how people can get involved in. Making it happen even faster, but still retaining that mission and vision that you don't want to dilute and water down as you go.
Rebekah Skeete: Um, so black girls hack is a, as you mentioned, nonprofit organization, um, that is focused on increasing diversity in cybersecurity. Uh, it got started a few years ago and literally a few years ago, about three. Um, where, um, our founder Tanisha Martin. Was seeking to transition into the cyber industry and notice that while there's a lot of information out there.
There still was, uh, she was, it was struggling to find resources and guidance to help, you know, follow, um, a path to follow, more or less. And, um, she identified that if she was experiencing that, others probably were as well. And she just got on social media and started sharing her process. And the community kind of grew organically.
Um, and then so from there, she went ahead and started the non profit. And, um, That's how I found it. I was, you know, as well, I was a working help desk and I wanted to transition into cybersecurity and I was like, hey, if I, if I want to do this, I shouldn't have to reinvent the wheel. Let me see who else is doing this work that I can either mirror or, you know, work with or what have you.
And I saw Tanisha on Twitter, you know, join the, the community. And, That's kind of what it's been. It's been an organic growth of like minded people who are experiencing similar things working together to support each other to then grow. Um, we've done, and I'm, you know, happy and proud to say, so many things as far as different study groups for Security the Certified in Cybersecurity.
We've done cohorts, um, for, uh, CEH, where It was completely, um, sponsored in that our, um, members or whoever joined that cohort was able to receive their, uh, their books, um, instructor led training, and then a voucher to take, um, the exam, all, you know, covered at no cost to them. And so those are the type of things that we seek to do to support, uh, people who are just now getting started so that they have the resources that they need to be skilled so that when the positions, um, That everyone speaks about, you know, we have so many openings or what have you.
So we're preparing them to be skilled to fill those positions. And then there are those who are already in the careers and they just need support because oftentimes, uh, some people get in the position and they're the only one. And that can lead to burnout, frustration, or what have you. And so having a, uh, a support system of people who you can ask, you know, hey, I've seen this, anyone else, uh, whatever.
And that can be professionally or personally. Um. But just knowing that you have that support, so that's good there as well. And then also, Chloe kind of mentioned, you know, imposter syndrome earlier. It's also good to, you know, the empower part of our, uh, tenant, is to reaffirm to people, hey, you're qualified, you're capable, you have this.
And sometimes people don't get those reassurances. They're so, you know, head down working and trying to get things done that they're not getting that other places. So we're providing that support here as well. Um, so, Black Girls Hack. Educate, empower, prepare. At the core of everything we do, it circles around that.
That's what we're trying to do. Make sure that people are skilled and so that, um, and then connect them with employers that are looking for work so that they can hire and then retain that talent. Because I think that's the other part of it. There are some people who are focused on the hire, but not on the retention.
So we want to make sure that, um, that people are not just getting these roles, but they're successful in them. Uh, so that's for Black Girls Hack. Uh, what was the other part of what you asked?
Alshlon Banks: So you want to, he, uh, how, how can people, uh, get involved with our organization?
Rebekah Skeete: Okay, so immediately I'm going to mention SquadCon because that's what we have coming up right now.
Um, it's still available for people to register if they're going to be on site already. You can go to our website at squadcon. me and, um, tickets are available, uh, for registration. So if you're going to be in Vegas or you have the flexibility to decide right now that you're going to be in Vegas, then by all means, we welcome you.
Welcome to SquadCon. Uh, go ahead and register there. Um, there are, as we mentioned, virtual options as well and you can register there. Uh, if you are a, an organization and you are, on board with the idea of what it is that we're trying to do, uh, you can sponsor. Uh, I know, uh, our deadline has, um, you know, Kind of, I don't want to say lapsed, but it's getting closer.
And so I, and a lot of time with organizations, they have to have lead time and what have you. As we said, this is not, um, this might be our first rodeo, but it won't be our last. So we definitely can commit to sponsoring for next year. Um, so that's for squad cons specifically. Uh, but as an organization, Black Girls Hack has rolling sponsorship opportunities, so you can get in where you fit in at any time.
Uh, and that's to either sponsor, uh, Partner with us for supporting our operating budget, uh, because all of us are volunteers. Um, we all have full time jobs and we do this in addition because it's something that we care about. Uh, so to help support that mission, that's definitely welcomed and appreciated.
And then we also have specific programs that are available to sponsor as well. Um, So, like, we have a dedicated red team training program that, uh, gets the person from zero to hero, you know, starting with absolutely no experience, and by the end of the program, uh, they'll, um, have the opportunity to sit for their OSCP.
Um, we also have a blue team training program, uh, similar of starting of just now getting started, and at the completion of it, there's about nine certifications that we guide through and help, uh, prepare for, and at the end of that they'll have their, uh, PTL three Blue Team, uh, training. So yeah, get in where you fit in, uh,
We also, you know, if you're an an instructor and if you're like, Hey, I don't, I'm not a big organization. I've just done this job for some time, feel free to, you know, do a, uh, a lunch and learn. We appreciate that. You know, um, if you're a recruiter and you can, uh, Loan your services for a resume review or what have you any skill that you have that you do well And it can be leveraged to help our members will definite.
We're definitely appreciative and and accepting of that. So Black girls hack org is our website. There's opportunities for you to connect with us there official at black girls hack email us. Uh, yeah.
Alshlon Banks: So a couple, a couple of things for, for me, uh, even how I became involved with, with, with black girls hack.
It was initially for, I was searching out a program for my daughter. I thought she was going to go into the, you know, the, the, uh, cybersecurity field, but, or I should say, I was trying to lead her into that, but she ended up, taking a turn to, you know, content creation and things like that. But I saw kind of what, Uh, was, was, was going on and I saw the, the mission and I was like, I'm behind this and I, I was like, I have to be a part of this.
So that's why I stayed on. Um, one thing I, I just want to stress in regards to, um, getting involved with, uh, with, uh, Black Girls Hack is that we are inclusive. Although it says Black Girls Hack, we are inclusive of, of all. Like, we, we don't, it's not just for black women or, you know, things like that. It, it's, it's, it's for all.
So I just want to make sure that, you know, um, You know, whoever's watching this, they understand that it's not just for black women. So there we
Marco Ciappelli: go. Well, I think you guys made this very clear. And I know we, even in the past, we, even with Chloe, and we had conversation about what really inclusion means, you know, Chloe's really passionate about it and how there is a paradox when you literally say we're going to be all inclusive.
But we don't like you, or we don't want this person. So in a way, the paradox is that at that point, you're not inclusive anymore. And this approach, you know, it's beautiful. I think it's needed. And I think we all need to be a little bit more humble. And let's face it, like you said, Rebecca and Alishlon, we're all mentors and We're also mentee every time that we mentor, we need to stay humble, we need to stay open because there's always something to learn.
Every time I do a podcast, it's like reading a book, actually, it's better because I get to interact with people like you that actually make things happen. And I'm super excited for, for this event. I want to close here with of course remembering everybody that there'll be links to all the website you mentioned, all the links to get involved.
Uh, it will be in the notes of the podcast. We're actually putting up a page for just for the event so that if we have more conversation moving forward during the event, after the event. We will put it there and we want people to get to get involved. So, um, as they say, you know, a new event start the moment that you finish the first one.
I know I get an email usually the day after a conference and to register for the next year. I'm like, Whoa. You know, give me a break, but I understand. I understand, you know, okay. But, uh, I know there's a lot, a lot of work involved. That's what I was, I wanted to say. So I hope people can find the way to, to help you out.
And I have no doubts that the community is going to answer, uh, to the call in a, in a very, very efficient and excited way. So, again. Thank you so much. Um, I don't know if you want to add something just to. To finish it, you
Rebekah Skeete: got a minute? I just want to say thank you for your time and for the partnership, you know I I'd never want to be to the point to where um, I feel Entitled to support.
Um while I think it's a valuable mission. I still appreciate everyone that links arms Uh, so so thank you and and thank you to everyone else who's seen the value and what it is that we're offering and has Decided to lend their their help and support. It's an ongoing thing. You know, it's not a Panacea, we have all the answers and we're going to fix everything, but it, uh, in an ongoing mission, the more people that you have that link arms and work with you, uh, the further along we can get, so I just want to thank you for the opportunity and the time, and, uh, thank you to everyone who will listen to this, and, um, And take action.
Alshlon Banks: Yes. I couldn't have said it better myself. Beck, thank you, Marco, for your, for your time and, um, hopefully we see you all in, uh, in Vegas. You
Marco Ciappelli: better. You better. All right. Thank you, everybody. Stay tuned and check out everything that is going to happen at this, uh, SquadCon event. It's going to be not the first, it's going to be...
Not well, it's going to be the first sort of but it's not going to be the last so All right. Thank you everybody. Stay tuned. See you in vegas