I love puzzles. Usual 1000-piece puzzles, a Rubik's cube, escape rooms, and even math I see as a puzzle. Similarly, cybersecurity involves problem-solving, whether it be analyzing a program attacked by a malicious actor or trying to develop an attack vector.
During the fall of my sophomore year of high school, my computer science teacher told me about a program called Girls Go Cyberstart. I thought the program sounded foolish as it was marketed for middle schoolers up to high schoolers, but a group of my friends wanted to do it, and they needed more members on the team, so I agreed to test it out. After completing a few challenges, I was hooked and spent hours after school playing around. Eventually, I came across challenges that left me stumped, but the site did not have many educational materials, so I turned to Google. I went from not knowing that cybersecurity was a field I could to study to being overwhelmed with the amount of information on the internet relating to hacking. I watched videos about topics like binary exploitation and web hacking that might as well have been in a different language as I barely understood what was happening, let alone that applications could be vulnerable to such attacks. In my senior year, I decided to join the new version of Girls Go Cyberstart: Cyberstart America. This program does not have a competition at the end. Instead, individuals try to complete as many challenges as possible. I started Cyberstart America to score 100,000 points, which proved difficult as many challenges involved forensics, and I was unfamiliar with tools like volatility and autopsy. Nevertheless, I exceeded my goal by earning over 130,000 points and being deemed a National Cyber Foundations Scholar. Surpassing the goal I set for myself showed me that I can succeed in the field of cybersecurity. I have a passion for learning and problem solving, and cybersecurity allows me to engage in both of these.
I always knew I wanted a job to help people. Cybersecurity is how I want to protect people from harm to their digital and possibly physical lives, as technology is involved in most aspects of our daily lives. Without secure technology, our society cannot properly function. Everything from medical devices to food delivery needs to be secure. I know that one day I can use cybersecurity to ensure people can continue to benefit from technology.
Once I have set a goal for myself, I work tirelessly to achieve it. Even though I have moments of doubt and may fail a few times before I succeed, I still keep going. In high school, I decided to join the golf team with no experience with the sport. I was the worst player on the team, and I would go to practice each day and could have kicked the ball further than I could hit it. Nevertheless, I continued because I had made up my mind that I would be a better golf player, and in my senior year, I won third place in a tournament. I am confident that one day I will work in the cybersecurity field and help others because of my perseverance and hard work.
I still have so much to learn about cybersecurity and will likely be learning more about the field for the rest of my career. I am excited about the challenge and determined the solve the puzzles that will come my way.
Last year I was scrolling my Facebook when one of my friend's profiles posted a challenge to present a name that started with a specific letter, ended with one particulanoteer, for a female, and five letters. I won, so I thought she had reached out to me. She said I won and needed my account info to send the money; she wanted my email address, my name, my phone number, and then in a twist, $100. I explained to this person I thought was my friend that I didn't have any money. This person hacked my accounts, stole my Facebook, and made it her own. I was devastated. I have had this Facebook account since 2007. My whole life was on this Facebook. Every picture of my children (who no longer are in my life), and my accomplishments, in life, were noted there with backing. I can never get any of this back. I called the police, fraud, and contacted Facebook support, but no one could return my account to me because this stranger not only hacked me but changed the email used and the password. This moment the felt like the end of my life, became the inspiration for my career path.
I choose to study not only cyber security but also software technology, programming, and development. I want to create an algorithm for social media sites that will drop accounts that show predatory intentions. We must stop identity theft, fraud, account theft, and the grooming of victims. We need to prevent cyberbullying. The very thought that these people can take everything from you just because you gave your email and name is terrifying. Protection.
My career path has opened my knowledge of computer software, coding, algorithms, programming, and website design. These are the tools used in cyber security. They allow me to see the flaws in social media websites' coding and correct them. These courses will also allow me to create a new, safe social media site should I choose to.
My most recent class is PHI103 Informal logic; it has changed how I view interactions with others and introduced me to critical thinking. I can now create a solid/valid argument and evaluate opposing arguments with the principle of charity; this gives the opponent the benefit of the doubt while carefully analyzing the premises and the conclusion to see if they have a more robust/weaker argument. I learned that it is essential to hold a growth mindset, allowing your viewpoint to expand and sharing the knowledge acquired non-persuasively. These few points I mentioned here are just the tip of the iceberg that is informal and logical. I have also learned that coding is very similar to argument forms and patterns, using calculus, algebra, probability, and set theory. These are just used in generating code, where cyber criminals seek a backdoor entrance. If they find a weak point, they will utilize it.
I hope what I have expressed here shows you my intentions and mission. I appreciate your time reading this, and I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Talitha Hartmann
