Meet the 22-year-old mentoring future cybersecurity experts, one girl at a time
Stacy Alwanga, a cybersecurity engineer at Cyber Guard Africa posing for a photograph at Nation Centre in Nairobi on October 7, 2024.
What you need to know:
- Stacy Alwanga, a 22-year-old cybersecurity engineer, is transforming the tech landscape by mentoring young women and girls in cybersecurity.
- Through her work and school outreach programs, she emphasises the importance of hands-on experience, resilience, and the broader scope of cybersecurity beyond hacking.
Stacy Alwanga’s entry into cybersecurity wasn’t planned. Raised in a family of medical professionals, her early ambitions leaned toward engineering and medicine. But today, as a cybersecurity engineer at CyberGuard Africa, the 22-year old’s passion lies not only in securing systems but in mentoring the next generation of women in tech.
Stacy’s story reflects the transformative power of mentorship and the potential it holds for shaping futures.
“I started out thinking I would follow in my parents’ footsteps,” she recalls. “But everything changed when I began learning about cybersecurity during the pandemic. I realised there was a whole new world beyond what I had imagined.”
Her journey into cybersecurity was largely self-taught. Like many in the field, she turned to online resources, starting with coding tutorials on YouTube. As she delved deeper into the world of hacking and system defence, she found herself fascinated.
“I thought, how can I help prevent the damage hackers cause? That curiosity led me into cybersecurity, and I haven’t looked back.”
But what truly fuels Stacy’s passion now is mentorship.
“Mentorship has been key to my own development, and I see it as a way of giving back and paying it forward,” she intimates.
She offers mentorship services primarily through a cybersecurity community dedicated to offering cybersecurity excellence in Africa.
“I chose AfricaHackon as a platform to offer mentorship as I am a beneficiary myself. I joined the community to be mentored and as I grew and excelled in the field, I now joined the mentors’ league. My focus is mostly on school going children, empowering them and making them aware of the world of tech at an early age. So, every so often, I go to schools and sensitise them,” she proudly notes.
“My goal is to inspire young women, to show them that cybersecurity isn’t just about hacking — it’s about defending systems and keeping data safe.”
Stacy is keen to highlight the broader scope of cybersecurity.
Securing data
“There’s this misconception that cybersecurity is just about breaking into systems,” she explains.
“I want the people I mentor to understand that it’s much more. It’s about protecting networks, securing data, and thinking ahead to prevent attacks.”
Her own mentors played a critical role in her growth.
“Fraizer Kilonzo and Dr Bright Gameli from CyberGuard Africa have been instrumental in my race,” she says. “They are part of the reason why I advocate and practice mentorship. When I was starting out, they didn’t just teach me the technical skills; they helped me see how to approach problems differently and how to think strategically.”
“These mentors, themselves seasoned professionals, continue to furnish me the kind of real-world guidance that books and tutorials cannot offer. They helped with my transition from theory to practice and I believe that is a leap that every aspiring cybersecurity expert must make. I am now intentionally passing on this knowledge and lessons learnt on to my own mentees,” she intimates.
She says that she often encourages them to work on personal projects. “Hands-on experience is crucial in cybersecurity. It’s not enough to read about it. You have to practise, test systems, and try things out. That’s where real learning happens,” she explains.
Stacy’s approach to mentorship isn’t just about technical skills. She places great emphasis on resilience.
“Cybersecurity is challenging. You’re going to fail at times. Systems don’t always behave the way you expect, and attacks can come from directions you never considered,” she says. Her advice to young women is straightforward: “Don’t be afraid to fail. It’s part of the learning process. What’s important is how you get back up and solve the problem.”
Her efforts are already yielding results. Stacy recalls mentoring a young woman who initially found cybersecurity daunting.
“She was overwhelmed at first, thinking it was too technical. But by the end of our sessions, she had developed a real interest in the field,” she beams. Seeing that transformation, from doubt to confidence, is what keeps her committed to mentoring. “That’s the reward for me—watching someone grow and realise their potential.”
Despite her growing impact, Stacy remains modest about her role as a mentor. “I’m still learning myself,” she admits. “Every time I mentor someone; I discover something new. It forces me to deepen my own understanding of the subject.”
Mentoring is a two-way street for her. While she offers guidance and shares her experiences, she also learns from the perspectives and questions of her mentees. “Mentoring challenges you to think differently,” she says. “It keeps you grounded and reminds you of the basics, which are easy to overlook once you’ve been in the field for a while.”
Stacy’s vision for the future extends beyond her own career. She wants to create a network of female cybersecurity professionals who can support each other, share knowledge, and elevate the presence of women in tech.
“We need more women in this field,” she asserts. “It’s still largely dominated by men, but that’s changing. My goal is to speed up that change.”
Her message to young girls is clear and powerful: “You don’t need to follow the conventional path. Cybersecurity, and tech in general, is open to anyone with curiosity and determination. If you’re passionate about it, don’t be afraid to jump in.”
Gender diversity
Her approach to mentoring is rooted in her own experience of breaking into the industry.
“When I started, I didn’t even know how to properly use emails,” she says with a laugh. “But I kept pushing, kept learning. That’s what I want others to take away—don’t give up just because something seems difficult at first.”
The impact of Stacy’s mentorship is already evident in the confidence and skills of those she has guided. As a young woman in a field still struggling with gender diversity, she understands the importance of representation. “It’s important for young girls to see women succeeding in tech. It shows them that it’s possible,” she says.
Stacy believes that journey stands as a beacon of what can be achieved through mentorship, persistence, and the determination to defy expectations. “My work is not only about protecting systems but about building the future of cybersecurity — one mentee at a time. We’re shaping the next generation of women in tech,” she says, “and that’s something to be proud of.”
With a focus on the future, Stacy plans to continue mentoring and hopes to inspire even more young women to pursue careers in cybersecurity.
“The field is always evolving, and so should we. The more we learn, the better we become. And the more women we bring into cybersecurity, the stronger our industry will be.”
