FS-ISAC Cybersecurity Scholarship

Addressing the Cybersecurity Talent Shortage

A varied talent pool is fast becoming a business imperative. We need a wide variety of different experiences, skillsets, and ways of thinking in order to stay ahead of nimble and innovative cyber criminals as the financial system evolves.

Launched in 2016, the FS-ISAC Cybersecurity Scholarship is 100 percent funded through the generosity of our members. Through contributing sponsorships, firms provide financial support, mentorship, and potential career opportunities to rising young students pursuing cybersecurity careers in financial services in the United States, Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, or Africa.

Our Cybersecurity Scholarship Program for the 2025-26 Academic Year

Since 2016, FS-ISAC members have awarded 170 scholarships and provided deserving students around the world $1.7 million to offset educational expenses.

Important program dates for the 2025-26 academic year:

Sponsorship inquiries open: 12 September - 20 March 2025
Student application open: 20 November - 7 March 2025
Scholarship winners notified: 1 May 2025

Benefits to Students

Award – $10,000 scholarship for 2025-26 academic year
Mentorship – learn about cybersecurity in the financial sector directly from experts in the field
Networking – attend FS-ISAC Summit or event in your region (registration, travel and accommodations included)
Access – attend cyber exercises hosted by FS-ISAC and powered by Immersive Labs free of charge

Benefits to Sponsors

Access – meet high achieving students in post-secondary studies
Mentorship – help grow promising new talent in the cybersecurity field
Development – provide staff opportunity to be mentors and grow professionally
Complimentary pass to regional Summit or event for Mentor and Mentee which includes admittance to an invite-only networking event

Favour Aina

Daisy Centeno Aldana

Makuta Allen

Parmita Arunan

Fehintoluwa Benson

Avery Chepolis

Emonie Colon

Kelsy Ecclesiastre

Emily Ellison

Alyssa Flores

Victoria Fonou

Suncerae Fredericks

Jazmin Gutierrez

Malak Haida

Audrey Hammond

Victoria Hargrove

Emily Hoogerheyde

Lina van Hunen

Aisha Ismael

Alexis Jacobs

Rupal Jain

Kathleen Kirk

Eliezer Kesse-Kye

Cassey Liang

Hannah Martin

Vrinda R Menon

Inioluwa Oyatobo

Krrisha Patel

Gabriella Quach

Nicey Raiyani

Katelyne Raymond

Nargis Rezaie

Chloe Rivera

Sofia Sanchez

Dolgormaa Sansarsaikhan

Nadia Shanneb

Marjia Siddik

Vy Tran

Sydney Umezurike

Ayesha Vohra

Ava Wandersleben

Jennifer Ye

Yevheniian Yefymova

Narges Zare

In Our Winners'
Words

Katie Earles, 2022-2023 Winner

What led you to this career path?

Books like George Orwell’s 1984, Dave Eggers’ The Circle, Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, and M.T. Anderson’s Feed launched me into studying cybersecurity and data privacy.

Monika Kumari, 2020-2021 Winner

How was your scholarship program experience?

As an FS-ISAC scholar, I had an unrivalled opportunity to learn from an outstanding network of cybersecurity professionals in real time. My conversations with my mentor helped me gain a new perspective and redefine my future career goals, as well as a path and plan of action. Overall, it was a fantastic experience.

Jade Meyer, 2022-2023 Winner

Why do you want to work in cyber?

From tactical and operational threat intelligence to security awareness, there are seemingly endless opportunities to get involved in defending companies (and their customers) from cyberattacks. The wide variety of fields within cyber, combined with the potential to make genuine, tangible positive impact, excites me most about cybersecurity and encouraged me to pursue this field.

Betta Lyon Delsordo, 2022-2023 Winner

What led you to this career path?

My first exposure to cybersecurity was through making websites for entrepreneurial women in Montana. Though I started out as just a web developer, I soon had to learn to protect their websites from online threats. Armed with the mission to learn it all, I taught myself how to hack, took every course my university offered in cybersecurity, and secured an internship with a pentesting firm. I know quite a bit more about cyber than I did then, but I still have a hunger to learn even better ways to keep people safe online.