Monique Leija is an Information Security Instructor II with the Center for Infrastructure Assurance and Security at The University of Texas at San Antonio.
What inspired you to want to be an NCPC instructor? What’s your background?
I’ve always had a love for teaching and sharing knowledge, especially in the field of cybersecurity. What inspired me to pursue becoming an NCPC instructor was the opportunity to not only educate others but also contribute to strengthening individual and community cyber awareness. I also value continuous learning and enjoy engaging with others to exchange ideas and learn from new perspectives!
As for my background, I bring over six years of instructional experience in cybersecurity, networking and healthcare-cyber education. I currently teach evening cybersecurity and networking courses at multiple colleges, in addition to my full-time role at the CIAS. My background also includes program and project management roles, where I developed cybersecurity camps, led teams, and helped design an integrated healthcare and cybersecurity degree program. I also have experience in web development, which supports my ability to design engaging and accessible learning environments. In addition, I am also in the final year of my PhD program, and earned both my undergraduate and master’s degrees from UTSA. I have also earned my Security+ certification. All of this experience helps me to bring real-world experiences and knowledge into the training courses I teach and have the research skills needed to develop training courses at a higher level.
How do you tailor your instruction to meet the needs of diverse audiences, such as technical or non-technical personnel?
I tailor my instruction by first assessing the audience’s baseline knowledge and then adjusting both the language and delivery method accordingly. For more technical audiences, I tend to incorporate deeper technical explanations, and for non-technical personnel, I focus on simplifying complex concepts, using analogies, and emphasizing practical relevance to their roles and organizations.
One experience I had, where I had to adjust the delivery for a training session, was when we hosted one of our more technical classes. I noticed that some participants were having trouble with some of the lab steps, so I shifted my approach by breaking concepts down further into simpler terms and guided them through the steps more thoroughly in the areas where they were struggling. I also incorporated additional, deeper-dive discussions to include the more advanced participants. This allowed me to keep everyone engaged without losing either group, and the feedback from the session was very positive.
How do you see NCPC training contributing to national cybersecurity resilience and community preparedness?
I believe that the courses that the NCPC offers play a critical role in strengthening national cybersecurity resilience by building awareness, capability, and confidence at the individual and community level. Cybersecurity is not just a technical issue; it’s a human one, so equipping people with the knowledge to recognize and respond to threats is essential.
The NCPC contributes to community preparedness by making cybersecurity accessible and actionable for diverse audiences, including non-technical personnel. When individuals understand how their actions impact security, it reduces overall risk and helps create a more resilient workforce and community.
What feedback have you received from participants that highlights the value or effectiveness of NCPC courses? Do you have any examples you could share?
We’ve received very positive feedback from participants that highlights both the accessibility and practical value of NCPC courses, especially for non-technical audiences. For example, during a pilot of our PER-342 Identifying, Prioritizing, and Assessing High Value Assets course, one participant shared: “As someone who is not in the IT field and doesn’t have one at their organization, this course helped identify ways we can improve the security of our organization and data.” This kind of feedback is especially meaningful because it demonstrates that the training is not only effective for technical professionals but also empowers non-technical individuals to take actionable steps in improving cybersecurity within their organizations. It reinforces the importance of making cybersecurity education accessible and relevant to a broad audience.
What do you find most rewarding about teaching cybersecurity preparedness through NCPC?
What I find most rewarding about teaching training courses through the NCPC is seeing the shift in confidence and awareness in learners. Many individuals can initially feel overwhelmed or intimidated by cybersecurity, but through training, they begin to realize that they can understand and apply these concepts in their daily roles. I also find it especially rewarding to know that the training has a real-world impact. When participants leave with practical skills, such as knowing how to recognize certain threats or learning how to use security tools, it directly contributes to reducing risk for an organization and also in the community.
Looking ahead, what are your hopes for the future of the NCPC and its role in strengthening national cybersecurity preparedness?
Looking ahead, I see the NCPC continuing to play a critical role in strengthening national cybersecurity preparedness by equipping individuals and organizations with practical, actionable skills, not just awareness alone. As cyber threats continue to evolve, training will also evolve as well to address changing needs.
I also see a strong opportunity for the NCPC to expand the use of interactive, scenario-based, and gamified learning approaches. These methods can help learners actively engage with realistic situations, improve retention, and build confidence in decision-making.
What is your favorite NCPC course? Would you share why it’s your favorite?
My favorite NCPC course is the MGT-301 Community Cybersecurity Preparedness Simulation. What makes this course stand out to me is its use of a gamified, tabletop simulation to teach cybersecurity in a very engaging and practical way. The course allows participants to experience how a cyber incident can create cascading impacts across an entire community, not just within a single organization. It really highlights the importance of collaboration, planning, and having a strong community-wide cybersecurity program. I really like how interactive it is, because it helps learners connect concepts to real-world decision-making. Participants are not just learning about cybersecurity; they are actively working through scenarios, which makes the lessons more impactful and memorable.
How does the NCPC prepare participants for real-world cybersecurity concerns?
The NCPC prepares participants for real-world cybersecurity concerns by incorporating real-world scenarios and examples based on real attacks or incidents into the training. This helps learners understand how threats occur and how they can impact both organizations and individuals.
Many courses also include practical tools and exercises that participants can directly apply in their jobs and daily lives, which strengthens their ability to respond to real situations. In addition, many trainings provide takeaway resources that participants can bring back to their organizations to support continued learning and implementation. Additionally, NCPC training courses also address both technical and non-technical audiences, ensuring that participants at different levels can learn applicable skills and have the right resources for themselves and their organization.