In August 2025, Katherin Dayana Camacho, Daniela Camargo, Yaizara Aurora, Janna Ramos and Saret Medina travelled to Estonia with the support of LAC4, a project funded by the European Union. There, they took part in CyberWizards, an international camp organised by the Estonian Information System Authority that brings together young women interested in exploring the world of technology and cybersecurity. During one week, they had the opportunity to learn, work as a team, develop their digital skills and share experiences with over 80 girls from ten countries.

This year, LAC4 continues to support this initiative by sponsoring the participation of young women from the Bahamas. As new participants prepare to begin their own experience, one year after taking part, the Panamanian participants reflect on what CyberWizards 2025 has meant to them.

One year after CyberWizards: an experience that continues to open doors

Looking back, the participants continue to value CyberWizards as an extraordinary experience, not only because of the knowledge they acquired, but also because of the personal opportunities it offered them.

For Daniela Camargo, one of the most important lessons was learning how to become more independent: “I really value the opportunity to have experienced the camp because it was very rewarding. I was able to practise socialising both in Spanish and English and learn how to organise myself independently,” she explains. For her, travelling abroad without her parents for the first time was an important personal challenge and an opportunity to gain greater autonomy. The constant use of English also allowed her to improve her language skills and gain confidence communicating in another language.

For Janna Ramos, CyberWizards was “one of the most wonderful experiences” she has ever had. One year later, she continues to highlight how the camp helped her improve the way she interacts with others and strengthen her confidence. It also allowed her to meet young people with similar interests and discover the many opportunities available in the technology sector.

For Yaizara Aurora, the international environment was one of the main lessons. “I learned how to live with people from different countries, work as part of a team and communicate,” she explains. These skills have been particularly useful as she prepares for a new academic stage in an international environment.

For Saret Medina and Katherin Camacho, the experience had a particularly important impact on their future plans. “We are sure that we want to pursue a career in cybersecurity,” they both say. Since then, they have continued working on their English skills and looking for opportunities to continue developing in the technology field.

From the camp to everyday life: putting what they learned into practice

Although a year has passed since the camp, the participants have been able to apply many of the skills they acquired during CyberWizards in their academic and personal lives.

Teamwork, communication and the ability to navigate new environments are among the skills that have stayed with them the most. For the young women, CyberWizards taught them that learning about technology is not only about acquiring technical knowledge, but also about knowing how to collaborate, communicate ideas and face new challenges.

Janna Ramos had the opportunity to put these skills into practice when she joined a new school. Her programming teacher asked her to prepare a presentation about her knowledge in tech, and she decided to talk about her experience at CyberWizards. “Although I was nervous, I gave a little course about my experience in Estonia and shared my knowledge with the class,” she explains. The reaction of her classmates allowed her to discover that there is a great deal of interest in technology and cybersecurity, even among young people who do not always have access to the tools they need to learn about these subjects. “When I saw that everyone enjoyed my presentation, I realised that many people are interested in this field, even though they sometimes do not have the tools they need to learn about it,” Janna says. The experience also strengthened her desire to continue sharing her knowledge with others.

An experience that changed their plans for the future

For several of the participants, CyberWizards was decisive in helping them choose the academic and professional path they wanted to follow.

Katherin Camacho initially had a very different idea about her future: she wanted to study aviation. Although she had already taken part in technology-related projects, she had not yet imagined herself pursuing a degree in this field. “After the camp, I realised that I wanted to study cybersecurity. It was my second option, but I ended up falling in love with it,” she explains.

Saret Medina also experienced a significant change. Before the camp, she was deciding between studying veterinary or architecture. After her experience in Estonia, she discovered that she wanted to pursue a career related to technology and became particularly interested in cybersecurity. She will graduate from high school at the end of the year and has decided to begin a degree in cybersecurity afterwards.

For Janna Ramos, the camp turned a possibility into a concrete goal. Before CyberWizards, she had already taken part in robotics and programming projects, but she still had doubts about pursuing a degree in technology. “Before the camp, I didn’t know whether I had the skills needed to study something related to technology. After my experience in Estonia, I realised that it was completely achievable and that I could do it,” she explains. Today, her goal is to study software engineering.

Daniela Camargo also had previous experience in programming and robotics, but had not yet decided which path to follow. CyberWizards allowed her to explore cybersecurity and confirm that this is the field she wants to pursue.

Continuing to learn and share what they have learned

The interest sparked by CyberWizards did not end when the participants returned to Panama. Each of them has continued exploring her interests in different ways.

Daniela has continued researching independently and practising with activities she learned during the camp, including Capture the Flag exercises. She has also explored the different branches of cybersecurity and developed a particular interest in digital forensics. “I really like the part where you identify attacks and understand how to protect people’s data,” she explains.

For Yaizara Aurora, the experience also helped her discover that her future could be connected to teaching. Although she has not had time to continue taking courses in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence or programming, she wants to keep learning so that she can share her knowledge with others. “I would like to teach young people my age who do not have access to the same tools and opportunities,” she explains. Janna Ramos shares this desire to teach.

The importance of creating opportunities

One year later, the participants also reflect on the importance of initiatives such as CyberWizards.

For Janna, “many young people do not have these opportunities.” The experience showed her that, with the right guidance and support, more young people can discover their potential in areas such as technology, programming and cybersecurity. She also highlights the importance of programmes specifically aimed at girls. “CyberWizards showed us how important it is to train girls in a field that is still largely male-dominated,” she says.

Yaizara shares this concern. “Most of my friends do not have the resources to do things like this. In many girls’ schools, there is no education on technology-related topics. However, when I talk to boys my age, they seem to be much more informed about these subjects,” she explains. For her, initiatives such as CyberWizards are important not only because they teach cybersecurity, but also because they help make the technology sector more inclusive and equal.

For Daniela, these types of opportunities can also help young people who are still unsure about what they want to study. “These initiatives are very helpful for young people like me, who are unsure about their future. Having opportunities like CyberWizards allows us to explore different paths and receive guidance that can help us discover what we want to do,” she explains.

Katherin also highlights the long-term impact of such initiatives. Many young people are interested in cybersecurity, but they do not always have the opportunity to explore it. “Initiatives like this give them that opportunity and change lives,” she says.

In their own words: why they would recommend CyberWizards

One year after taking part, the five young women agree that CyberWizards was much more than a one-week camp.

The experience allowed them to explore cybersecurity, gain confidence, practise their English, learn how to work with people from different cultures and discover new possibilities for their futures.

“Once you are a CyberWizard, many doors open for you,” Yaizara Aurora says. For Saret Medina, the camp is “a push to discover your talent.” And for Daniela Camargo, CyberWizards represents “proof of your passion and of how far you can go for your dreams.”

One year later, their experiences show that the impact of CyberWizards does not end when the camp comes to an end. What matters is what happens afterwards: the paths that are discovered, the decisions that are made and the opportunities that, from that point on, begin to seem possible.