Summer Opportunities

DECREE VI Scholars Summer Program

Welcome to the DECREE VI Scholars Summer Program! This program is designed to enhance your skills and knowledge in cybersecurity, offering a variety of engaging educational activities and opportunities for professional development. The activities that are part of the summer program are detailed below:

Prepare for DoD-Approved Certifications

Enhance your credentials by preparing and taking a Department of Defense-approved cybersecurity certification exams:

• Security + (SY0-701): Build foundational security skills and knowledge.
• PenTest + (PT0-002): Focus on penetration testing and offensive security measures.

Please follow the following process to obtain your Comptia exam voucher

1. Complete the pre-exam survey

• Timing: 8–10 days before your CompTIA certification examination date
• Complete the Google Form:
  • Submitting the survey unlocks the voucher request. If form is correct, you will receive your voucher code by e-mail 2–4 days after submission.
  • If you do not complete the survey in time, you will not receive the voucher

2. Schedule the exam & upload proof

• Schedule your certification exam by starting at CompTIA Sign-In page. Detailed step-by-step instructions can be found in the Scheduling Your CompTIA Exam Help article.
• After booking, take a screenshot of the confirmation page (showing date, time, and exam name) and upload it via the “Edit response” link included in the email you receive after completing the survey in Step 1.

3. Report your results

• Within 48 hours of finishing the exam, upload your PDF score report (or a clear image of the printout) via the “Edit response” link in the email you received after completing the survey in Steps 1 and 2.

Complete Cybersecurity Hands-on Batches with PentesterLab

Advance your cybersecurity skills by completing the following badge courses on PentesterLab over the summer:

• Blue Badge: Start here if you’re new to cybersecurity and learn the basics.

• Green Badge: Dive into specific techniques for exploiting serialized data.

• Orange Badge: Further your understanding of security with more complex challenges.

  Different badges can be completed based on scholars background.

Engage in Industry and Research

• Attend Local Cybersecurity Professional Conferences: Network with professionals or rechearchers and learn from experts at events realted to the VICEROY areas. There is a limited funding for these conferences determine by each University.

Biweekly Reflections

If you are joining any of these summer oportunities, you are required to submit a biweekly Linkedin post in our LinkedIn group reflecting on their summer activities.

If you are interested, please contact us at viceroydecree-admin@khoury.northeastern.edu, and provide:

** PentesterLab Plan**

1. Goal & Deadline
   Provide the specific certification exam or PentesterLab track you will complete and state your target completion date.
2. Weekly Schedule
   Outline the number of study hours you will commit each week and list the topics, labs, or modules you will cover.
3. Milestones & Evidence (LinkedIn Updates)
   Identify at least three checkpoints, describe the evidence you will submit for each, and commit to posting a brief progress update with supporting proof in the program’s LinkedIn group