Cybersecurity is an urgent topic in today's news, and on Wednesday, June 13, J-1 interns from the CCIP (www.theccip.com) attended an event focused on data safety -- the NYC Hispanic Chamber of Commerce IT Seminar.

Sponsored by J.P. Morgan Chase, the seminar took place at Fordham University. Two experts addressed the group: Thaier Hayajneh, Ph.D., founder and director of the Fordham Center for Cybersecurity, and Ileana Van Der Linde, executive director at JPM Private Bank Asset Management & lead of the Cybersecurity Awareness Program. The speakers briefed students on the latest issues surrounding cybersecurity and on best practices dealing with IT and security challenges.

Student leader Jackson Lai, majoring in computer science at the Open University of Hong Kong, had been looking forward to this event.

“I'm excited about this seminar because it takes place in a field that I'm very interested in,” Jackson said. “It’s a great experience to be able to listen to leaders in the IT sector. This opportunity is why I joined the CCIP.”

A fellow exchange visitor and student leader, Jocelyn Chua, who is interning at Aithent, Inc., said she’s gaining a greater appreciation for the access to expertise that New York has to offer.

“What I see in the news or read online is totally different from experiencing it firsthand", Jocelyn says. "Being here and getting to attend these talks by successful people in their fields has been way more informative about real-world issues.”

Founded in 2006, the New York City Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is instrumental in providing resources and maintaining an open dialogue and network among progressive people, businesses, government agency, financial institutions, media and marketing.