Lars McCarter on the Samantha Jennings-Jones Memorial Scholarship

Samantha Jennings-Jones made an impact on the cybersecurity profession through her leadership, generosity, and deep commitment to serving others. She was the kind of colleague, mentor, and leader whose influence stayed with people long after a meeting ended or a project wrapped. For those who knew her, Sam represented the best of what the profession can be: skilled, compassionate, and dedicated to lifting others as she advanced.

When colleagues, friends, and family came together to establish the Samantha Jennings-Jones Memorial Scholarship, they did so with a shared purpose: to honor Sam’s life by creating opportunities for future cybersecurity professionals.

For Lars McCarter, one of Sam’s former colleagues, helping launch the scholarship was a meaningful way to preserve that legacy. He remembers organizing a happy hour with former colleagues as a way to kick-start fundraising and bring people together around a cause that felt deeply personal.

“I organized a happy hour with all of her former colleagues as a fundraising activity to get the scholarship kick-started,” McCarter recalls. “There were several of us who wanted to help make sure Sam’s legacy lived on through the education of others.”

What began as a community effort quickly grew into something more enduring: a scholarship that continues to support aspiring cybersecurity professionals while reminding the community of the person it was created to honor. For those who knew Sam, the scholarship reflects who she was in both her career and her character.

“Sam was a great leader in cybersecurity,” McCarter says. “She was a role model, not just for women in the community, but for anyone learning how to lead and make an impact.”

Sam was also known for how deeply she invested in other people’s growth. Her commitment to service was not occasional or symbolic — it was central to who she was.

He went on to say, “I mentored her. She mentored me. She mentored many of our junior officers and team members. That was simply who she was.”

That spirit continues through the scholarship established in her name. Each award helps another person take a step into a profession that can be challenging to enter, especially without financial support or a strong network. In that way, the scholarship does more than preserve a memory. It extends a mission.

Lars believes scholarships are one of the most meaningful ways the cybersecurity community can help shape the future of the profession. By helping people get started, the community is not only honoring leaders like Sam but also strengthening the pipeline of future talent.

“Getting people through the front door is always the hardest part,” he says. “Anything we can do to help get the next generation into the discipline is going to be helpful.”

That belief is reflected in the scholarship itself and in the larger community effort behind it. Lars’ dedication to helping build something lasting speaks to a broader truth about the profession: when people invest in others, the impact multiplies. A scholarship can help one person earn an education, build a career, and eventually mentor the next generation in turn.

Looking ahead, Lars hopes the scholarship will continue to grow and create even more opportunity over time.

“Ideally, we can maintain it year over year and hopefully expand it to support even more individuals,” he says. “School is not cheap, and anything that can be done to help bring up the profession is going to be a win. To do it in her name is fitting.”

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The numbers show reach. The stories show transformation.

As the Center for Cyber Safety & Education celebrates 15 years of impact through the Fuel the Next 15 campaign, stories like Samantha’s remind us that legacy is built not only through leadership, but through the opportunities we create for others. Her scholarship continues to open doors, carry forward her values, and help fuel the next generation of cybersecurity professionals.

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