"Cybersecurity isn't going anywhere and it's going to continue to grow, so it's very important that we understand it," said Corinne Kinlaw, Reagan High School sophomore and current iCSI student.
Twenty soon-to-be sixth grade students spent three days at Camp Code inside the Institute of CyberSecurity & Innovation (iCSI). These students from middle schools across the District learned from iCSI Lead Instructor Josh Beck and high school mentor students.
The goal of Camp Code is to equip them with foundational concepts they can bring back and share with their middle school CyberPatriot program and teammates. After this week, their cyber toolkit includes beginner Python knowledge, computational thinking, problem solving and career exploration.
Kinlaw was one of the mentor students on hand to help the sixth graders master the basics of all things coding and cybersecurity. She joined iCSI last year as a freshman and is now looking forward to a future in the cyber realm. She says it's been gratifying to watch Camp Code students strengthen their computer science, cybersecurity and STEM foundations. 
"I came to iCSI with little to no experience and I've picked it up and I really enjoy it," said Corinne. "Cybersecurity is something I really enjoy and it's been fun to see the improvements they've made and how much they remember. I think it's cool they're starting at such a young age and building up that foundation. By the time they're ready to graduate high school, they're going to be ready for a job."
The Camp Code students were selected via lottery.
