BILLINGS — When most people think of hackers, they picture glowing screens and lines of code. But for one group of Montana students, hacking looks more like teamwork and problem-solving for a good cause.
Code Girls United, a nonprofit after-school program for girls based in Kalispell, hosted its first cybersecurity camp, called the "Cybercat Hacking Academy," at MSU Billings this week. The camp introduced over a dozen students in grades 7 through 12 to coding, cybersecurity, and the concept of ethical hacking.
Watch to learn more about how these Billings students are using ethical hacking for good:
“I've always kind of had an interest in computers. I've always really liked them,” said Olivia Bishop, a seventh grader from Will James Middle School, at the camp.
Bishop has been with Code Girls United since fourth grade and got to help develop an app this past school year, called Perfect Product that scans food labels for allergens.
Related: 'Futures in STEM': Billings middle schoolers discover sisterhood through coding
The nonprofit teaches students to create real-world tech solutions while also encouraging community impact. This week’s camp dove into cybersecurity fundamentals and ethical hacking practices.
“We have a completely different view from the adults,” said Bishop. “I feel like having kids be able to use their creativity and learn how to create this sort of thing to help their community, I feel like that's, like, just a great thing because it gives new perspectives and ideas, and creativity to help solve problems.”
Åsa Osterlund, another Will James seventh grader who participated in the camp, came in with a prior understanding of coding. She and her team earned a scholarship earlier this year for their own app development project.
She said the lessons gave her a new understanding of cybersecurity.
“I've never really wrapped my head around how big the internet is and how many computers are out there, and how much it can destroy our world if something like a worm happens," said Osterlund. “It's important to know how to avoid getting hacked and if, like, somebody needs help, you can hack in a good way to help them."
Students programmed cat-themed microcontroller devices, learned about WiFi safety, experimented with scripting, and practiced hands-on networking discovery skills. On the final day, they completed a paper-based “escape room” challenge that tested their knowledge through codebreaking and teamwork. Student interns Isabelle Ashley, Emma Anderson, and Willow Truman helped create and lead the exercises.
"One thing that people don't really know is that if you've connected to a public WiFi before in your life on your phone, it leaves a trace and it leaves that network there, especially if you say 'automatically connect,'" said Marianne Smith, the program's CEO and founder. “We wanted to give them tools that they could use to protect themselves and to understand kind of the conceptual things behind it."
Smith, who founded Code Girls United in 2016, said their mission is more than learning about protection, but about empowerment in the field.
"A lot of this stuff is kind of understanding how to be safe, but also understanding that there's people that are hacking for good," said Smith. "They are looking at the holes, like, where is there vulnerability?"
The nonprofit also wants to close the widening gender gap in STEM. In a world where technologies such as artificial intelligence are becoming more prevalent, so is the need for those in the field.
"Especially in Montana, the girls going into STEM and computer science, the percentages are really low, and they've actually decreased since a few decades ago," said Darian Shackelford, the program coordinator for Eastern Montana.
Shackelford said this kind of early introduction is key, something she has already seen in her two years of being with the program.
“Just whatever field these girls decide to go into, computer science and tech is going to be part of it no matter what it is, so it's really cool that they get this early exposure,” said Shackelford. "I wish I could have done something at this age and knew this kind of stuff was out there, so I'm glad that they're getting that experience.”
Within the program's short time, it has already made an impact. According to Smith, about 72% of the program’s first group of participants are now pursuing STEM degrees in college. For Bishop, the experience has only deepened her interest in a tech career.
“When I'm older, I want to do either, like, engineering or computer science. I really like building and creating things,” said Bishop.
That outcome is what interim dean of the MSUB College of Education Melanie Reaves wants to see more of from the partnership with the nonprofit. The university is hopeful programs like this will spark both future tech leaders and teachers.
“That's the exciting moment, right? Where they're like, 'Yes, I can do this. I would love to do this in the future,'" said Reaves. "Of course, our goal in the College of Education is to train new teachers, so we are hoping that we are training new teachers who are getting interested in science."
Despite the camp's end, these students' interest in technology is far from over. As the field continues to evolve, learning about the unknown and how these systems work will make them more prepared in their daily lives.
“It's a lot of fun to see girls kind of moving from this, like, 'I've got a unicorn that's dancing on a screen,' to, 'Oh, now I'm programming,'" said Smith. "Seeing girls take a whole path and keep that interest alive, so it's really great.”
The program is run by volunteers and supported by donations. Code Girls United will host a fundraiser at Highland Golf Club in Billings on Aug.16 to support its expanding efforts across Montana. For more information, click here.
