NYU Tandon announces 2021 S&K scholarship recipients

BROOKLYN, New York, Wednesday, March 31, 2021 – As part of its ongoing commitment to addressing the need for developing cybersecurity experts now nearing 3.5 million worldwide, the NYU Tandon School of Engineering has awarded the 2021 S&K Scholarships to four outstanding NYU Cyber Fellows. 

In its inaugural year, the S&K Scholarship is supported by NYU Cyber Fellows Advisory Council member and Senior Fellow, Center for Cybersecurity, Omkhar Arasaratnam, and his wife, Sabrina, along with Google.

This year’s S&K Scholarship recipients will receive an additional $500 tuition scholarship towards each course for the entire Cyber Fellows program — already one of the most affordable master’s degree programs in the country, thanks to scholarships of 75% from New York University.

“Today’s information security workforce is more than 80% male and 68.5% white — leaving a largely untapped diverse talent pool,” said Arasaratnam. “The S&K Scholarship extends access to underrepresented groups to graduate STEM programs, increasing diversity in the cybersecurity workforce.”

The S&K scholarship will be awarded each spring to select students exhibiting excellent academic standing and a demonstrated commitment to engaging with the cybersecurity community. It is especially appropriate that in Women’s History Month so many of the recipients happen to be women-identifying students from underrepresented groups.

Congratulations to recipients Rebecca Diaz (Spring 2021 Cohort), Tina Ridley (Spring 2021 Cohort), Pamela Persaud (Fall 2020 Cohort), and Hanah Lavian (Fall 2020 Cohort). 

Added Arasaratnam, “This initiative to help scale up the number of technical experts capable of protecting our personal lives, critical infrastructure, and national security, especially as the COVID pandemic has made the world increasingly more vulnerable to threats on technology-dependent lives.”

“The technology behind online learning creates an opportunity like never before,” explained Nasir Memon, Vice Dean of Student & Academic Affairs. “With financial support from Advisor and Industry Partners like Google we can quickly educate highly skilled computer scientists and continue to provide opportunities to groups that are often forgotten.”

In addition to affordability and accessibility for women and underrepresented groups across the country, the NYU Tandon cyber programs seek to rapidly expand the talent pool by engaging with the NYU Cyber Fellows Advisory Council and promoting several professional education initiatives:

• Industry Badges 
• Mastermind Mentors
• Special Guest Speakers Series
• Center for Cybersecurity - Independent Research
• CSAW (Cyber Security Awareness Worldwide)

The current Cyber Fellows program is structured as a part-time curriculum to accommodate working professionals and is now also available full-time. For those without a background in computer science, NYU Tandon offers the NYU Tandon Bridge, which provides the foundation they need to apply to a rigorous master’s degree program in cybersecurity – within 17-24 weeks and for just $1,850.

About NYU Tandon Online

NYU Tandon Online, the online learning unit of The NYU Tandon School of Engineering, provides platforms and best practices for graduate students, faculty, and strategic industry partners, and creates a flexible, affordable and accessible pathway to elite education for working professionals and people with non-traditional STEM backgrounds.

NYU Tandon dates to 1854, the founding date for both the New York University School of Civil Engineering and Architecture and the Brooklyn Collegiate and Polytechnic Institute. A January 2014 merger created a comprehensive school of education and research in engineering and applied sciences as part of a global university, with close connections to engineering programs at NYU Abu Dhabi and NYU Shanghai. NYU Tandon is rooted in a vibrant tradition of entrepreneurship, intellectual curiosity, and innovative solutions to humanity’s most pressing global challenges. Research at Tandon focuses on vital intersections between communications/IT, cybersecurity, and data science/AI/robotics systems and tools and critical areas of society that they influence, including emerging media, health, sustainability, and urban living. We believe diversity is integral to excellence, and are creating a vibrant, inclusive, and equitable environment for all of our students, faculty and staff. For more information, visit engineering.nyu.edu.