PBS Data Privacy Program Development Project

Dive into real-world cybersecurity issues through mentored work experience while earning $25 an hour in PBS’s Data Privacy Program Development project, part of CCI’s Project-Based Learning Program.

The project is part of CCI’s mission of Workforce Development.

About PBS

PBS and its member stations are America’s largest classroom, the nation’s largest 

stage for the arts, and a trusted window to the world. In addition, PBS’s educational media helps prepare children for success in school and opens up the world to them in an age-appropriate way.

Learn more about PBS.

About the Project

Students will have the opportunity to actively contribute to strengthening PBS's data privacy program. Students will gain hands-on experience by developing cross-functional privacy intake requests, conducting data discovery and classification assessments, and supporting the design of governance frameworks. Through these efforts, students will play a key role in enhancing organizational data protection and advancing cybersecurity resilience.

Potential projects include:

• Assist in developing and documenting an internal workflow for intaking and managing privacy intake requests.
• Collaborate with privacy stakeholders to conduct data discovery, mapping, and classification across organizational systems.
• Assist in identifying and protecting sensitive data to support incident response and breach readiness.
• Contribute to data governance and privacy governance frameworks that align with NIST cybersecurity best practices.

What You’ll Do

• Work on real-world cybersecurity scenarios/projects
• Enhance your soft skills
• Network with students, faculty, and CCI partners

What You’ll Get

• A stipend of $25 per hour will be paid through CCI
• Mentorship by PBS experts
• Access to approved systems (e.g. VPN)
• Challenge and project outline
• Materials required to complete the tasks
• A glimpse into the world of public media
• Microsoft suite products and SaaS applications
• Privacy training
• Laptops provided by PBS
  • Laptops and materials will be shipped to the students prior to the project start

Timeline

Eligibility Requirements

To qualify for the program, you must:

• Be a U.S. citizen
• Be currently studying at a Virginia institution of higher education
• Have completed one year of schooling
• Be enrolled full-time through the fall 2026 semester
• Have declared their major in cyber or cyber-related field
  • Cybersecurity
  • Computer Science
  • Data Science
  • Engineering
  • Data Privacy
• Commit to staying in the program from Jan. 26 – Aug. 14, 2026
• Attend PBS onboarding virtually on January 26, 2026
  • Date and time subject to change due to the student’s schedule
  • Onboarding is expected to take three hours
• Be enrolled in cyber or cyber-adjacent courses and demonstrate an interest in cybersecurity (e.g., does Hack the Box or other online CTF-style activities, has a home lab, cyber club, etc.)

Additional preferred qualifications:

• Have an eagerness to learn about data privacy
• Have general data governance, data protection, and data privacy awareness

Project Requirements

If selected for the program, you must:

• Work on a cybersecurity project from Jan. 26 – Aug. 14, 2026
• Work on the program for a minimum of 10 hours per week during Jan. 26 – Aug. 14, 2026
• Meet one day a week with PBS (meetings will be scheduled in advance and will be virtual)
• Inform your university/college advisor of project participation
• Provide CCI with your advisor’s name, title, and email

Expectations

This is a professional opportunity, and you’re expected to conduct yourself in a manner befitting a professional environment.

You will be held accountable for attending meetings and actively participating in project-related tasks. Failure to meet these expectations could result in your dismissal and forfeiture of your stipend. You must:

• Attend 80% percent of mandatory meetings
• Participate in project-related tasks
• Resolve any attendance and participation issues

If you’re interested in seeing this program at your school or sponsoring such a program at your company, please contact Sarah Hayes at sshayes@vt.edu.