How I Found the Ideal Co-Founder for Our Cybersecurity Club at McGill

Published on April 18, 2025 by Jinjin Lim Siong Kee

When I first switched my major to Information Technology Management in January 2025, I knew I wanted to dive deeper into cybersecurity — but I had no idea where that curiosity would lead me.

At the start, I did what felt natural: I reached out to a cybersecurity consultant for advice. His suggestion was simple yet powerful: "If you want to break into cybersecurity, connect with other university clubs. You’ll find the right people there."

So I started asking around — friends, classmates, anyone who might have a lead. Most of the time, the answer was discouraging:"It’s too hard.""It's too niche.""Maybe just wait until next year.""Jinjin, don't give yourself too much pressure if you think it's too hard."

But I kept going. I told myself, "If I have to, I’ll build this club on my own."

One day, through a friend of a friend at Université de Montréal, I stumbled upon something promising — a link to the Discord server of Polytechnique’s Cybersecurity Club (Polycyber). I decided to take a chance and reach out.

That's when I met Dora, the president of Polycyber. She didn’t hesitate. She immediately scheduled a call with me to share advice and guidance. That late-night call would change everything. Dora, seeing the opportunity, invited Oliver to join the call — a fellow McGill student studying Electrical Engineering who, it turned out, had been wanting the same thing: McGill needed a cybersecurity club, and he was ready to help create it.

Meeting Oliver was one of the most rewarding parts of this journey. From our first conversation, it was clear: we shared the same mindset. Both of us believed deeply in building something positive for the McGill community — not just another club, but a real community for students curious about cybersecurity.

Shortly after, we decided to test the waters and submitted our idea to a university pitch competition, Innovation For Impact 2025. To our surprise — and pride — we became finalists. It wasn’t just a small win. It was a signal that the need was real. Our vision resonated. Students, professors, and judges alike saw the potential and the importance of what we were building.

If there’s one lesson I took from this experience, it's this: perseverance opens doors that discouragement tries to close. Had I stopped when it felt too hard, I would have missed the chance to meet an incredible co-founder, validate our idea, and start creating a lasting impact on the McGill community.

This is just the beginning — and I can’t wait to see where it goes.