BOZEMAN — Did you know more than 1,500 hundred cybersecurity jobs were available in Montana in 2025?
According to MSU, that number is expected to keep growing – which is why a $50,000 grant received by Gallatin College to teach high schoolers about cybersecurity is so important.
“It’s really fun, and it’s hands on and you learn so much and you can actually use it outside of class,” said Abigail Hofer.
Abigail is a homeschooled senior in high school who lives in Bozeman. She says she has always had a passion for technology.
“At home, I’ve always been known as the ‘tech girl ‘and any problems with like technology, I try to fix,” she said.
That’s why she’s taking cybersecurity courses through Gallatin College.
“It’s a lot of hands on, and it’s really practical,” said Abigail. “For me, I’m a visual learner, so the hands on is just, like, it’s so much easier for it to stick.”
As Program Director of Cybersecurity and Information Technology at
Gallatin College Ronda Black explains, hands-on learning is exactly the goal of the $50,000 Cybersecurity Pathways Grant from Montana’s Future at Work program.
“This grant has given me the opportunity to get in those high schools and be able to offer educators across Montana a tool that does not exist at this point in time,” said Black.
WATCH: Gallatin College receives $50,000 cybersecurity grant to educate high schoolers
Black says cybersecurity, the practice of protecting systems and data from digital attacks, is a field that’s broader than most people realize.
“A lot of people think, ‘it’s just coding and I don’t want to code.’ And I love the fact that I can go in there and be like, ‘this is not coding,’ said Black. “Do you play with computers? Do you play with gadgets? Do you like figuring things out? If so, you’re going to love this career field.”
Black says this grant is crucial in not only teaching cybersecurity, but also informing students and parents about online safety.
“This grant is the first opportunity that I’ve had to fund my passion, which is to get into these schools and give them what they need,” said Black, who says she is grateful from the support from Montana’s Future at Work program.
As Black explains, the grant allows her to share a cybersecurity curriculum she created with teachers across the state, helps provide free industry-standard certifications for high schoolers, and pays for CyberKits for classrooms.
For students like Abigail, it’s an exciting opportunity.
“Sometimes it’s hard, its challenging for sure, but you get to have more practice and later on you get it,” said Abigail.
“If you’re wanting to take this course, I’d say you should do it,” she added.
