From Mascot to Mission: Building Trust and Engagement through Character Creation

Wednesday, September 30, 2026 | 9:30AM–10:30AM MT
Session Type: Poster Session
Delivery Format: Poster Session
In what promises to be a crowd-stopping, bright and engaging poster session, viewers will learn how a familiar mascot can turn cybersecurity education from routine messaging into an engaging campus experience. Using colorful and real-life print samples, a playable game, and takeaway stickers, onlookers will get to know Scout the Information Security Guide/Guard dog. This poster will show how your university can also leverage creative talents, AI tools, and accessible software to create a character identity across print, email, social media, and a game-based learning experience to make phishing awareness and cybersecurity more relatable, creative, and effective.

Presenters

  • Lindsey Horner

    Information Security Awareness Program Manager, University of Notre Dame

  • Casey Kiel

    Graphic Designer, University of Notre Dame