We had the pleasure of once again hosting high school students for our annual Cyber Camp, held June 8–11, and our new Cyber Pi Camp, held June 15–18! Across the two camps, students came to Messiah University to learn about cybersecurity, explore hands-on technology, and get a small taste of college life on campus.
During Cyber Camp, students learned foundational cybersecurity concepts including the C-I-A triad, Linux, Python, online safety, threats, cryptography, firewalls, logging, and incident response. Students also participated in cyber gaming challenges, daily activities, and hands-on exercises designed to help them understand how cybersecurity professionals think and work.
This year, we were grateful to once again have several special guests and cybersecurity professionals join us. Sharon Flategraff, Director of Threat Intelligence at Mastercard, led students in a KC7 cyber gaming challenge. Mitch DeFanti, SOC and Red Team Manager on the Messiah University IT Security team, gave students a tour of the Security Operations Center (SOC), where our cybersecurity interns work each semester gaining real-world cybersecurity experience. Mitch had a cybersecurity intern speak to us about his experience working in the SOC and guide us through several Graylog exercises to find network intruders. Dan Brookes, Director and CEO at the National Center for Narrative Intelligence, spoke to campers about AI and cyber careers. We also had several professors join us to share stories and topics from their cybersecurity and computer science courses.
Cyber Pi Camp gave students another opportunity to explore cybersecurity through hands-on computing with Raspberry Pi devices. Students worked with Linux, Python, GPIO circuits, sensors, networking, and cybersecurity activities. They also used Raspberry Pi systems with Mango routers to learn about Wi-Fi configuration, local networks, web servers, and port forwarding. The camp gave students a fun and practical introduction to how small computing devices can be used to learn important cybersecurity and networking concepts.
One of the highlights of both camps was seeing students work together, solve problems, ask thoughtful questions, and build confidence with new tools. The games, labs, Raspberry Pi activities, and SOC tour helped students connect cybersecurity concepts to real-world applications. We are already looking forward to building on this year’s activities and continuing to expand hands-on learning opportunities for future camps.
Thank you to all of our students from Cyber Camp 2026 and Cyber Pi Camp 2026. You were what made these camps so great. We enjoyed spending time with you, and we look forward to seeing how cybersecurity and technology play a role in your path moving forward. Thanks also to the parents and families for your support of the students and of our camps.
Enjoy photos from this year’s camps!
