I want to begin by sharing my sympathy with the family of Brandon Repola. Although I never met him, his story inspires me. His creativity, his drive, and his love of technology remind me of the qualities I strive to carry into my own life. Like Brandon, I believe in dreaming big and using my skills to make a difference. I graduated early from Kempsville High School in Virginia Beach with a 3.9 GPA. That achievement meant more than finishing school quickly. It reflected my determination to keep moving forward despite challenges. I grew up in a low-income household, raised mainly by my single mother. She has always been my role model, showing me what resilience looks like. Even when resources were limited, she encouraged me to stay focused and work hard. Her sacrifices motivate me to keep pushing toward my goals. My love for technology started with curiosity. On an old laptop, I would spend hours testing programs and experimenting just to see what would happen. I broke things often, but I always found a way to fix them. That tinkering spirit grew into a passion. In high school, I had the chance to show it during a project on online safety. While most students made slideshows, I built a program that demonstrated how quickly weak passwords could be cracked. When I presented it, my classmates typed in “fake” passwords to test the program. They were surprised to see how fast something like “soccer123” could be broken. The room lit up with laughter and amazement. What mattered more to me was what happened later. Several classmates told me they went home and changed their real passwords, even showing their families what they learned. That project showed me that technology is not just about computers. It is about people and how the right tools can protect them. Now, as a cybersecurity major at Old Dominion University, I am motivated to build a career that combines curiosity with service. I want to become a cybersecurity analyst, protecting systems and helping communities feel secure online. I also want to mentor younger students and show them that technology fields are open to them, especially women and students of color who may not always see themselves represented. In five years, I see myself working in cybersecurity and building financial stability, while also supporting my mother in return for everything she gave me. I also see myself giving back to Hampton Roads by sharing what I have learned and helping students who may face the same challenges I did. This scholarship would help relieve the financial strain that comes with pursuing higher education. It would allow me to focus more on learning, research, and opportunities that prepare me for the future. More than financial support, it would be an honor to carry forward Brandon Repola’s legacy. He lived with passion and generosity, and I hope to honor him by using my own passion for technology to inspire and protect others.

1. How would receiving this scholarship help you achieve your educational goals? Attending Old Dominion University as a cybersecurity major is a dream I’ve worked hard to make possible, but the reality is that paying for college has been a constant source of stress. Coming from a low-income family, I know that every textbook, lab fee, and semester tuition bill carries weight. Receiving this scholarship would not only ease that financial pressure but also allow me to focus fully on my studies and the opportunities ODU has to offer. The cybersecurity program at Old Dominion provides a mix of technical training and hands-on opportunities that will prepare me for the career I want to build. I look forward to taking courses such as “Cybersecurity and Technology in Society” and “Network Defense and Countermeasures,” which will give me the tools to understand and respond to real-world threats. ODU also offers labs and research opportunities where students can practice identifying vulnerabilities and creating solutions. I want to immerse myself in these experiences without having to constantly worry about how to afford them. With financial support from this scholarship, I would have the freedom to devote more energy to my education and less to the financial strain of balancing tuition with living expenses. Scholarships like this one provide more than money. They provide security. For me, that means being able to fully commit to my education and preparing for a career that will not only change my life but also protect the lives of others in the digital world. 2. What adversities have you faced in your life? My journey has not been easy. I was mainly raised by my single mother, who worked tirelessly to provide for me and my siblings. Growing up in a low-income household taught me the value of resilience and determination, but it also came with challenges. There were times when we had to stretch every dollar, and I learned early on to appreciate opportunities when they came my way. Even though resources were limited, my mother always encouraged me to work hard in school because she believed education was the path to something better. Graduating early from Kempsville High School with a 3.9 GPA was one of my proudest accomplishments. It was not just about finishing school faster but proving to myself that I could stay disciplined despite the obstacles I faced. While my peers were enjoying the traditional high school path, I pushed myself because I knew every step forward brought me closer to my goals. Another challenge was the feeling of being underestimated. As an African American female pursuing a career in technology, I sometimes faced doubt about whether I belonged in this field. That doubt could have held me back, but instead, it motivated me. I wanted to prove that curiosity, determination, and hard work matter more than stereotypes. Tinkering with projects, exploring new tools, and showing what I could build gave me confidence. My obstacles became the foundation of my drive. They shaped my belief that adversity is not a stopping point but a stepping stone. 3. Where do you envision yourself in five years? In five years, I see myself working as a cybersecurity analyst or engineer, protecting systems from digital threats and ensuring that businesses and communities feel safe online. By then, I hope to have earned my bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity from Old Dominion and possibly be pursuing a master’s degree or advanced certifications in the field. I want to be in a position where I am not only working on security challenges but also mentoring younger students who are interested in technology. Beyond my career, I want to give back to the Hampton Roads community that raised me. I know what it feels like to come from a background where opportunities feel out of reach. One of my goals is to volunteer with local schools or community organizations to show students that they can succeed in technology regardless of their circumstances. Cybersecurity is a growing field, and I want young people in my community to feel like it’s open to them too. On a personal level, I envision myself financially stable, independent, and proud of the work I am doing. I want to be able to support my mother in return for all the sacrifices she made for me. In five years, I hope to look back and see that I not only reached my goals but also carried others forward with me.

I never thought a classroom project could change how I saw technology. In my junior year of high school, we were assigned a presentation on online safety in my computer programming class. Most of my classmates made slideshows with tips about creating strong passwords or avoiding scams. I wanted to do something different. I had been teaching myself bits of coding and exploring tools online, so I decided to build a small program that could show how quickly weak passwords could be cracked. I set it up so students could type in “fake” passwords during my presentation, and my program would estimate how long it would take to break them. When someone entered “basketball123” and the result showed it could be cracked in seconds, the whole room reacted. People started laughing, shouting out guesses, and testing new ones. By the end, everyone was trying to outsmart the program with creative passwords. It turned what could have been a boring presentation into something people actually had fun with. The best part came afterward. A few classmates told me they went home and changed their real passwords because of what they had learned. One friend said he even showed his parents how easy it was for hackers to guess simple ones. That was the first time I realized that my tinkering and curiosity could actually make a difference in someone else’s life. It wasn’t just about showing off a project. It was about helping people see technology in a new way and leaving them better prepared. Since then, I’ve kept experimenting whenever I can. Sometimes it’s through small projects at home, like figuring out why a program isn’t running the way it should or learning new tools late at night because I want to see what I can make. Other times it’s been about helping friends or coworkers when they run into tech problems. I like the challenge of digging into something that seems confusing at first and finding a solution that surprises people. Those moments remind me that technology isn’t only about machines. It’s about people and how we use those machines to solve problems, connect, and feel secure. As I begin studying cybersecurity at Old Dominion University, I want to keep building on that same spirit of curiosity and experimentation. I know the field will challenge me with problems that don’t have obvious answers. That’s what excites me the most. I want to take the skills I gain and use them to create tools and ideas that help others feel safer in the digital world. If I am fortunate enough to be chosen for this scholarship, I will carry forward Kyle Lam’s legacy by continuing to tinker, to experiment, and to share what I learn with others in ways that make a real difference.

The first time I realized how powerful technology could be, I was sitting in my high school library, frustrated that the school’s Wi-Fi had blocked a website I needed for research. What started as a simple annoyance quickly turned into curiosity. I began asking myself questions: Who decides what gets blocked? How secure are the systems we use every day? Could someone with the wrong intentions break through these protections? That moment lit the spark that led me toward cybersecurity. During high school, I had the opportunity to work on a small but meaningful project that confirmed my passion. In one of my classes, we were asked to create a presentation on digital safety for younger students. Instead of just making a slideshow, I took the project further. I researched real-life examples of data breaches, explained how hackers exploit weak passwords, and even built a demonstration showing how quickly a simple password could be cracked using free tools online. Watching students react with surprise and concern made me realize how little many people understand about protecting themselves online. The project gave me a sense of responsibility. It made me not just want to learn cybersecurity for myself, but to share knowledge that can help protect others. What inspires me about technology, especially cybersecurity, is that it is constantly evolving. Every advancement brings incredible opportunities, but also new risks. A single line of code can open doors to innovation, or it can expose vulnerabilities that put millions of people at risk. That balance between creation and protection excites me. I want to be someone who stands on the side of protection, who helps build systems that allow people to feel safe while they work, connect, and share online. Cybersecurity also inspires me because it’s about people as much as it is about technology. Behind every hacked account is someone’s personal story, whether it’s a small business owner trying to survive or a student trying to protect their identity. Technology connects us more than ever, and cybersecurity ensures those connections remain safe. That human element is what motivates me to learn, practice, and eventually work in the field. As I begin my journey at Old Dominion University, majoring in cybersecurity, I see my future as a blend of problem-solving, creativity, and service. My goal is to use the skills I gain not just to build a career, but to protect communities from the digital threats that surround us. Technology may be complicated, but my motivation is simple: I want to make the online world safer for everyone.