Maseeh College places great value on being an access university, serving nontraditional and underserved communities, one that provides opportunities for learning outside of the classroom, and supports diverse students on their paths to becoming STEM innovators. In the arena of cybersecurity education, our CyberPDX program has been adapted as an initiative specifically tailored to engage and empower Native American pre-college youth. By lowering the twin barriers of cost and technological knowledge, the program aims to welcome participants from tribal communities, ensuring inclusivity and accessibility in cybersecurity education through an interdisciplinary STEAM curriculum. With a strong emphasis on Engaged Pedagogy, CyberPDX prioritizes active learning and peer mentorship, providing a supportive environment for underserved students to explore the complexities of cybersecurity.
Native American and Alaska Native students are severely underrepresented in science and engineering education fields and industries. Only 17% of Native American students continue their education after high school, compared to 60% of the U.S. population, and they have the lowest graduation rate among any minoritized group. In Oregon, while 63% of White students attend college within 16 months of graduation, only 49% of Native American students do. Furthermore, only 47% of Native American and Indigenous students attended public high schools that offered the full range of mathematics and science courses. Undergraduate and postgraduate enrollment for Indigenous students has also decreased over the last three years compared to other groups.
Several factors contribute to their exclusion from the STEM pathway, including lack of representation, exposure, belonging, and preparation. Many Native youth find a mismatch between the communal goals of their community and the perceived non-communal culture in STEM. Currently, few STEM programs in Oregon specifically focus on supporting Native high school students' engagement in engineering or computer science.
Engaging Native youth in topics relevant to their community, especially those that help others, can be a strong motivator for their participation in STEM. An important and relevant topic is increasing the security and resiliency of digital infrastructure against cyberattacks. Cyber breaches are increasing in frequency, and there is a global shortage of 3.4 million people in cybersecurity professions. Tribal governments are particularly vulnerable due to outdated technology infrastructure, and they hold sensitive data of tribal and non-tribal citizens that includes medical records, employment records, and membership rolls important for upholding cultural values, sovereign rights, and the well-being of their members.
CyberPDX leverages the robust existing support system for Native students at Portland State University (PSU). PSU has the largest Native American enrollment of any public university in the Pacific Northwest and introduces students and faculty to Indigenous Traditional Ecological & Cultural Knowledge (ITECK) and intercultural collaboration as core themes in its STEM teaching and training. PSU offers in-state tuition for enrolled members of all federally recognized tribes.
Faculty and leadership commitment are crucial for this project. CyberPDX will be championed by Dean Joseph Bull and led by Chair of the Engineering Technology Management department, Tim Anderson. PSU is the only university with a Native American engineering Dean (Dr. Bull) and one of two with a Native engineering department chair (Dr. Anderson). Student recruitment efforts will involve the new Tribal Liaison Executive Director for PSU and build strong partnerships with local tribal communities. Dean Bull is committed to making PSU the destination of choice for Indigenous students in STEM, and CyberPDX is an important step toward that vision.
Driven by a commitment to Engaged Pedagogy, CyberPDX embodies a learner-centered approach, fostering an environment where students are not mere recipients of knowledge, but active participants in their educational journey. The project’s curriculum will be adapted to ensure there is sufficient scaffolding to engage students at whatever level of preparedness they arrive with. This tailored approach, rooted in the principles of Engaged Pedagogy, facilitates active learning, enabling students to immerse themselves in the intricacies of cybersecurity, and equipping them with the tools to navigate the digital landscape with confidence.
At CyberPDX, we strive to adapt our curriculum to meet students at their level of preparedness, fostering a learning environment that accommodates diverse backgrounds. By tailoring the curriculum to resonate with the experiences and interests of Native American youth, this program bridges the gap in cybersecurity education within tribal communities. Crucial to CyberPDX's success in this regard is the role of peer mentorship and collaboration. Recognizing the importance of relatable role models, the program recruits and trains undergraduate and graduate students from underrepresented groups within the Native American community to serve as mentors. These mentors not only provide guidance, but also inspire students through representation to pursue careers in cybersecurity, fostering a sense of belonging and empowerment within the community and in the world at large.
As CyberPDX establishes its educational foothold within local Native American communities, we hope that its dedication to inclusive pedagogy and peer mentorship will serve as a beacon of hope for aspiring cybersecurity professionals. By empowering Native American youth with the skills and knowledge needed to thrive in the digital age, CyberPDX is not only bridging a long-standing gap in STEM, but also fostering a sense of pride and empowerment within tribal communities. And, as Dean Bull is fond of observing, “a rising tide lifts all ships.” Maseeh College is at the forefront of research and educational innovation not despite its inclusivity: inclusion is precisely the factor that makes us so innovative.