I grew up on the idea that the American dream was attainable by hard work. This belief followed me through homelessness, poverty, and depression. What my experiences taught me was that the American dream is not only further from attainability since my childhood, but no longer a worthy aspiration. As I grow older and wiser, I recognize the greatest achievement is being able to make circumstances better for those after me. I want to pursue a career in cybersecurity to help break the notion that the tech space is not for black people, and hopefully, through my efforts help create a more equitable society in which my life experiences are an anomaly rather than the norm for many of the children in my community. My story is not traditional, and neither is the path I’m pursuing. I hope to obtain my bachelor's degree in computer science with a focus on cybersecurity because I love tech and want to make tech accessible and fun to all. However, as a black woman, I know that my journey will be unique and that the field I’m entering will make me a minority of a minority. According to Forbes, the infosec field comprises of 14% women, and 3% of black people. I still want to pursue a career in cybersecurity because I recognize the need to make it more diverse as not just important to the future of tech, but to the black community as well. There’s an opportunity to bring resources to the community, and I plan to be a part of it. For example, there are many great organizations in my home city, Chicago, that participate in enriching the community. In particular, Little Black Pearl and Hatch 41 offer coworking spaces to entrepreneurs in infamously underserved communities. These efforts need people familiar with the community with a passion for tech to drive the initiatives in creating areas for black entrepreneurs and workers to have safe spaces free from office politics and microaggressions, as well as the freedom to create and build. Unfortunately, nonprofits are not the most attractive sector for tech grads to pursue. Many of my peers are seeking the FAANG (Facebook (now Meta), Apple, Amazon, Netflix, and Google) companies where there are financial incentives and name recognition. However, my life and volunteer experience have shown me that there’s a dire need for tech talent in nonprofits, and as previously stated, I don’t intend to pursue the traditional. I hope to help in safeguarding the networks nonprofits use to continue providing services to the community. Some of my plans include creating programs that increase awareness of the resources within the community and connecting those who desire to help with those in need of help by creating neighborhood-based hubs online. Wisdom has matured what I aspire to obtain in life. I no longer see success as the number of assets that I can collect for personal gain. This mindset was born from one of my favorite quotes which motivates me when I’m feeling discouraged: A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in. I don’t want any children to experience what I did when I was younger, and I want to work to do all that I can to make the options for black children in the community more diverse and attainable by breaking into unfamiliar spaces and fostering the growth of these spaces for them to be in. I may not live to see the fruit of my efforts, but I will still plant the tree that will nourish those after me.