Discovering a Career in Cybersecurity
Student of the Week: Lorna Montemayor
Overall I look forward to helping people in their respective companies and helping their data stay secure. I look forward to future opportunities to help companies defend their network and their private information.
For Lorna Montemayor, pursuing a career in cybersecurity fulfills a personal mission to help people and companies as well as guard their most sensitive information online.
First entering STC as a dual-enrollment student at Valley View High School, Lorna began at STC after graduation in 2019. Initially harboring a lifelong fascination with art, Lorna said she began college with the hopes of one day entering a career as a graphic designer. As she took her classes at STC and began to research the job market however she became drawn to careers in IT.
Less than three years later, Lorna recently graduated with a Cybersecurity Specialist Associate of Applied Science from South Texas College and is currently pursuing her bachelor’s degree in Computer and Information Technologies.
Well known by her instructors for a deep and technical knowledge regarding cybersecurity, ethical hacking, and server administration, Lorna attributed an intense attention to detail that helped her through her courses.
“When it came to cybersecurity, I found that I liked helping people when it came to defending their networks and this has prompted me to look into a career as information security analyst or maybe even digital investigating,” she said. “I am in between these two fields because I am fascinated by chain of evidence and command as well as documenting and trying to help police investigate any type of criminal activity.”
The Cybersecurity Specialist Associate of Applied Science and Certificate degrees which Lorna recently received is designed for students interested in entering the field of cybersecurity technologies.
The degree prepares students to learn practices that are designed to protect networks, computers, programs and data from attack, damage, or unauthorized access. Cybersecurity Specialists at STC are trained in computer security, installing security software, network monitoring for security breaches, and responding to cyber-attacks.
Lorna hopes one day her work can pay off with a dream job working for Microsoft.
“Overall I look forward to helping people in their respective companies and helping their data stay secure,” she said. “I look forward to future opportunities to help companies defend their network and their private information.”