Last week, a lucky group of Year 9 girls headed into London for an inspiring day at the DataBricks headquarters, thanks to an event organised by Cyber Girls First. From the moment we arrived, it was clear this wasn’t going to be an ordinary school trip - more like a behind-the-scenes look at the world of cyber security, tech careers, and a LOT of fun challenges.

The day kicked off with a fascinating talk from the Head of Cyber at CapGemini, who opened our eyes to the reality of cyber attacks (yes, they’re happening all the time!) and shared practical tips on how we can protect ourselves online. Everyone left that session double-checking their passwords.

Next up was Robert Dowell from the National Museum of Computing, who took us on a whistle-stop tour through the history of computing. He even ran a cypher game that got everyone puzzling over secret codes - turns out, cracking cyphers is harder than it looks, but much more fun than we expected!

Consultants from DataBricks and Vodafone then shared their own journeys into cyber and tech, showing that there’s no single path into the industry. Their stories definitely made the idea of a future in computing feel more exciting - and more achievable.

To round things off, Atica Consulting ran a brilliant (and slightly chaotic!) game all about the dangers of oversharing personal data. Students were split into groups of six: four "characters" and two "hackers". The characters had to flash cards containing personal information for just 10 seconds, and the hackers had to grab as many details as they could. The giggles, panic, and gasps made it clear just how easy it is to reveal more than we mean to online.

Of course, no trip is complete without great food - and the lunch (and matcha lattes) did not disappoint! Everyone also went home with a generous goodie bag, which was the perfect end to an already fantastic day.

Overall, the trip was inspiring, eye-opening, and packed with fun. A huge thank you to Cyber Girls First, DataBricks, and all the speakers for giving our Y9 girls such an unforgettable experience!