{"id":1169,"date":"2022-12-19T11:13:44","date_gmt":"2022-12-19T16:13:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/socialengineering\/?page_id=1169"},"modified":"2026-02-11T09:29:03","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T14:29:03","slug":"student-testimonials","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/socialengineering\/testimonials\/student-testimonials\/","title":{"rendered":"Student Testimonials"},"content":{"rendered":"

You can hear more from past competitors via our CARE POD podcast (episodes 1-3, 7-12)<\/a>, but here are some student testimonials!<\/p>\n

“<\/strong>This year’s SE event taught me the critical role of AI in both crafting and defending against advanced social engineering attacks, such as AI-enhanced OSINT, phishing, and vishing. I learned how quickly attackers can exploit publicly available information, making proactive security measures essential. The event also highlighted the importance of real-time decision-making and maintaining situational awareness under pressure. Effective training and simulations were key to identifying vulnerabilities in human behavior and communication. Overall, it reinforced the need for a dynamic, multi-layered approach to cybersecurity in an AI-driven threat landscape.<\/strong>“<\/strong><\/em> – 2025 competitor<\/p>\n

“<\/strong>From this year\u2019s Social Engineering (SE) event, I learned how critical human factors are in cybersecurity. Technical defenses are important, but people often remain the easiest targets. I gained hands-on experience in crafting realistic phishing emails and vishing scripts, which taught me how small details \u2014 like tone, timing, and word choice \u2014 can dramatically impact the success of an attack. I also learned the importance of preparation, adaptability, and ethical responsibility when conducting social engineering exercises. Most importantly, the event showed me how vital continuous security awareness training is for organizations to strengthen their overall defense.<\/strong>“<\/strong><\/em> – 2025 competitor<\/p>\n

“This event has significantly bolstered my understanding, ability, and confidence in being an effective social engineer, particularly when working within scenario-based situations. It has sharpened my skills in analyzing and adapting to dynamic environments, as well as in crafting persuasive narratives tailored to specific scenarios.”<\/strong><\/em> \u2013 2024 competitor<\/p>\n

“This event enhanced my understanding, ability, and confidence in being an effective social by providing hands-on experience and practical application of social engineering techniques in a real-world scenario. This allowed me to gain insights into the nuances of human behavior and persuasion, improving my ability to influence and manipulate social dynamics effectively. Additionally, the event exposed me to a diverse range of social engineering tactics and strategies, allowing me to expand my repertoire and develop a more comprehensive skill set.”<\/strong><\/em> \u2013 2024 competitor<\/p>\n

“Participating in social engineering events helped me to increase my awareness of common social engineering tactics and how to defend against them. This can include identifying and responding to phishing scams, recognizing and avoiding social engineering attacks, and understanding how to protect sensitive information from social engineering threats.”<\/strong><\/em> \u2013 2023 competitor<\/p>\n

“It took what I have gained over the years from both a cybersecurity background and a psychology background and gave me a place to practice and hone those skills in a way that allows me to use both skills at the same time.”<\/em><\/strong> \u2013 2023 competitor<\/p>\n

\u201cThis event was awesome at showing me how it would be like if I was a social engineer and gave me an excellent opportunity to really see what it\u2019s like. I feel that this event was a great first competition for me and provided me a solid introduction into the world of social engineering.\u201d<\/b>\u00a0\u2013 2022 competitor<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThis event allowed me to realize that along with the technical components to social engineering, the \u201csoft skills\u201d (persuasion techniques, use of psychology) are also just as important, if not more important. This has also helped give me a boost to my confidence, as I now feel like I do have some of the skills required to be an effective social engineer and have the abilities to further develop my social engineering skills.\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 2022 competitor<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cPartaking in this competition was a great experience for me and my team. for the most part we were exposed to another aspect of cybersecurity that is not normally covered in the classes or in most workplaces. So it was quite a learning curve. But overall great experience.\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 2021 competitor<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cVery solid experience, would definitely recommend for cyber security professionals to go through competitions like this one.\u201d<\/b>\u00a0\u2013 2021 competitor<\/em><\/p>\n

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You can hear more from past competitors via our CARE POD podcast (episodes 1-3, 7-12), but here are some student testimonials! “This year’s SE event…<\/p>\n

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