October 2020 Newsletter
Issue 2
October 16, 2020
October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month!
During National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, this week we are focusing on the steps individuals and organizations can take to secure Internet-connected devices for personal and professional use.

The pandemic has brought major disruptions in the way we work, learn and socialize, driving many of these activities online. With our homes, schools and business more connected than ever, it’s vital to “Protect It” and #BeCyberSmart.

Many of our home devices – including thermostats, door locks and even coffee machines – are now connected to the internet. These advances in technology are innovative, convenient and intriguing but pose new security risks. Here are a few steps you can take to protect your digital home:

  • Secure your Wi-Fi network: Your home’s wireless router is the primary entrance for cybercriminals to access all your connected devices. Secure your network and devices by changing the factory-set default passwords and usernames.
  • Double your login protection: Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) for emails, banking, or others services that require logins to ensure you are the only person who has access to your account. Learn more this the How-To-Guide for MFA.
  • Never click and tell: Limit the information you share on social media. Random details such as an address or where you like to get coffee are enough to target you and your family online and in the real world. Start by keeping sensitive information private and disable location services.
CompuGirls Hawaii Mentor-Teachers
Over the past two months, CompuGirls Hawaii staff have been hard at work interviewing local high school educators to serve as mentor-teachers and a STEM ambassador for the CompuGirls Hawaii 2020 Fall Virtual Engagement Program that begins this Saturday, Oct. 17. Mentor-teachers are tasked with implementing the CompuGirls Program curriculum, activities and lesson plans and responsible for the academic development of the students. The Department of Defense STEM Ambassador is a cohort of educators who will partner with the Defense STEM Education Consortium (DSEC) to advance STEM outreach throughout the 2020-2021 school year.

CyberHawaii together with its partners University of Hawai'i, Arizona State University Center for Gender Equity in Science and Technology, and DSEC are proud to announce the following five mentor-teachers and one STEM Ambassador:
Leah Aiwohi
Kauai High School
Mentor-Teacher

Aiwohi has been a teacher since 1990 on the island of Kauai and currently teaching AP Computer Science Principles, STEM Capstone, Arts/Communications Capstone, and Digital/Broadcast Media at Kauai High School. She encourages her students to use problem-based learning to identify issues that are in their community and finding solutions. Leah also serves as a mentor for Hawaii teachers who are going through the CSP4HI Program. 
Whitney Aragaki
Waiakea High School
Mentor-Teacher

Aragaki has been teaching at Waiakea High School since 2011 and teaches biology, AP Computer Science Principles, and AP Environmental Science. She is also pursuing a PhD in Education with a focus on Curriculum and Instruction from University of Hawai'i Manoa. She is passionate about empowering female and non-binary students to find success in the STEM fields and helping them develop the skills needed for their future careers.
Verona Holder
Mililani Waena Elementary School
Mentor-Teacher

Holder is currently a 5th grade teacher at Mililani Waena Elementary School and has been a classroom teacher for the past sixteen years. Her students have left her classroom with the ability to be self-directed learners and put their best foot forward in their education. She has found power in seeing underrepresented groups in STEM fields and is motivated to help her students reach their own goal by utilizing inquiry-based processes and engineering-based process teaching.
Toni Kaui
Na Hunaahi
STEM Ambassador

Kaui teaches at Na Hunaahi, an independent school that focuses on Native Hawaiian language and culture-focused STEM school. She has been an educator for the past ten years. She is a Code.org AP Computer Science Principles facilitator. She actively integrates culture within her lesson plans and teachers her students to develop solutions to problems.
Kenneth Kauluwehi
Mentor-Teacher

Kauluwehi has been a mentor of Kamehameha School’s Cyber Patriots teams for the past three years. He currently works as a Security Engineer at OccamSec and previously an IT Lecturer at Waikato Institute of Technology in New Zealand. He has taught different types of martial arts throughout his life and uses that teaching pedagogy to break down lessons into smaller parts for his students to get a better understanding of concepts which allows his students to teach their peers.
Joni Maunupau
Mililani Waena Elementary School
Mentor-Teacher

Maunupau is currently a 5th grade teacher at Mililani Waena Elementary School and coaches Mililani High School’s Boys Varsity Volleyball team. She has been a teacher for the past six years teaching kids ranging from preschool to college education. Joni is enthusiastic about teaching students that they can learn anything they put their mind to and that hopes that students face adversity head-on and learn from their mistakes to be resilient in the future.
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