Past Cyber Student of the Year Award Winners

Alice received the Cyber Security Student of the Year Award while studying Forensic Computing & Security at Bournemouth University. An active member of the university’s computing and gaming communities, she served as Communications Officer for both the Computing and Security Society and the wonderfully nostalgic Among Us Society. Before winning the award, she had already gained hands-on experience in IT and fibre networks, and had just completed a Technical Security Consulting internship with NCC Group.

Her passion and dedication have continued to shine. Alice was Highly Commended in the 2022 Cyber Diversity Award, named “One to Watch” in the 2022 Most Inspiring Woman in Cyber awards, and was a finalist in the 2023 Diversity Champion and Rising Star award. She also completed an MSc in Internet of Things and spent three years as a Junior Security Researcher with Secure Impact Ltd.

Now a Data Analyst at Trooli, Alice has built a five-year career with the company that began with part-time roles during her student days. Outside of her day job, she channels her technical skills into Capture the Flag (CTF) challenges.

When Anahitha won the Cyber Security Student of the Year Award, she was in her second year at the University of Warwick, where she earned the highest grades in her cohort. Her passion for cyber security was already evident—she had completed an IT work experience placement at CGI, a leading cyber security firm, and was actively involved in the university’s cyber security community, including with CyberWomen.

Anahitha also represented her peers as the cyber security course representative in the student-staff liaison committee, contributing to academic governance and student experience.

Since receiving the award, she has gone on to serve as President of the University of Warwick Cyber Society. She will graduate this June with an MPhil in Advanced Computer Science, with academic interests focused on security, cybercrime, and online harms.

Sophie stood out as an advocate for diversity and inclusion during her time studying at the University of Warwick. As Women’s Officer for the university's Cyber Society and President of the Warwick chapter of CyberWomen, she championed representation in cyber security from the ground up. She went on to found CyberWomen Groups C.I.C., an initiative focused on empowering women in the industry.

Alongside her studies, Sophie completed a cyber security internship with Equilibrium Security and participated in the Cyber PATH programme through her local Cyber Resilience Centre.

Since receiving the Cyber Security Student of the Year Award, Sophie has completed a graduate scheme and is now a Junior Cyber Security Consultant at Cyberfort. She also volunteers as the Communications Lead for the Cyber Leaders Challenge, continuing her commitment to community-building and leadership in the sector. She will be a judge in this year’s awards.

When he won the award, Alex was studying Digital Forensics at Birmingham City University while actively serving as a police officer with West Midlands Police. Balancing frontline experience with academic excellence, he graduated with First Class Honours and has since transitioned into the cyber security field as a Threat Intelligence Analyst at The Cyber Helpline.