I am from the small Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians reservations. Here on my reservation, it is drug-ridden, and homelessness is rampant and depressing. After graduating from high school I enrolled at Turtle Mountain Community College and moved in with my grandmother. Staying at my grandmother's wasn't a difficult change; it was home, but the tricky part was adapting to the reservation; I had lived in the city all my childhood, and seeing the literal grime of my hometown was a difficult pill to swallow. Life on the reservation was drastically different from what I was used to; people talked differently, professionalism wasn't even a thing, and law enforcement was loose, but the diamond in the rough was the college. The tribe invested a significant amount when they built the new college, which sits next to a beautiful lake. Upon arriving at the school, I was shocked by how gorgeous it looked compared to the rest of Belcourt. Before I entered the doors, I expected a crowd of students and staff, but instead, I was met with silence and tranquillity. I walked through the silent halls to my first class, which only had twenty students, including myself, but attendance dropped significantly throughout the first week; those that remained were among the few that took their education as seriously as I did. I have built a solid educational relationship with my instructors and peers, allowing me to thrive and succeed immensely. I have become extremely passionate about TMCC because I see it as the only way to help the greater community of my reservation by educating our populous and inspiring the youth. Now, in my second year, the student populous has doubled, which means that the young see the potential that TMCC offers and that through education, we may lift our community to a more prosperous future. I am passionate about owning my own business because I want to resolve the problem of skilled IT workers leaving the reservation and provide them with a place to work. I also want a business that can shepherd the local high school students who wish to learn more about a possible career path in IT. I know from personal experience that the Native American youth doesn't have the best platform for exposure to STEM careers such as IT. I would love to be that platform for the future generation in my community. The cyber security program has opened my eyes and mind to a new world I am passionate about. I want to share my knowledge with the next generation of IT technicians and nurture the career path of technology.

There are a handful of reasons I chose cybersecurity as my field of study. I was initially intrigued in early 2021 when the Colonial pipeline was held for ransomware; I heard about the incident on the news. Shortly after the Colonial pipeline attack, T-Mobile had a massive breach, which leaked millions of customers’ information. In particular, the T-Mobile attack spiked my interest because my mother had an identity theft scare; that was a scary and difficult situation to experience. The feeling of hopelessness and not being able to help your parents is a feeling that I wish never to experience again; cyber security was the only way I could combat the threat and help others prevent falling into the same situation. My other form of inspiration is my uncle Kevin; he is one of the most intelligent men I know, he has worked in the IT field for fifteen-plus years, and every day his knowledge amazes me. I wish to learn as much about technology as he does. I have been working and studying Linux for two semesters; it has opened my mind to how easily a system can be breached. As a cyber security technician, it is my job to know every single aspect of how a computer operates and thinks so that I may prevent complex attacks. My journey learning Linux has been smooth thanks to the help of TestOut, an online learning platform for IT students and graduates that teaches and certifies their customers. I will continue studying Linux for all it is worth until I can competently describe, work with, and demonstrate its capabilities. Linux is the number one operating system used by cybersecurity professionals around the globe. I am from the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians reservation. Here on the reservation, it is a small niche community where a lot of our talent leaves to the neighboring cities in search of work. This is especially true for those who are skilled in IT. I am passionate about owning my own business because I want to resolve the problem of skilled IT workers leaving the reservation and provide them with a place to work. I also want a business that can shepherd the local high school students who wish to learn more about a possible career path in IT. I know from personal experience that the Native American youth doesn’t have the best platform for exposure to STEM careers such as IT. I would love to be that platform for the future generation in my community. The cyber security program has opened my eyes and mind to a new world I am passionate about. I want to share my knowledge with the next generation of IT technicians and nurture the career path of technology.