I got into cyber – through the Air Force and was exposed to it in many of my jobs. However, my passion for cyber was fueled by my company, SandboxAQ. We are a company that is focused on issues at the nexus between AI and Quantum and one of those issues is Post Quantum Cryptography (PQC). PQC is an emerging cyber capability that everyone will need to migrate to in order to protect their infrastructure, networks, and APIs from Store Now, Decrypt Later (SNDL) attacks and quantum computers being able to decrypt traditional encryption such as RSA very quickly.

My top tip to those interested in transitioning to a career in cybersecurity is – to continually learn and be willing to explore new areas of cyber. Cyber is changing so quickly that you must be flexible and adapt to what is going on in the cyber domain.

I would tell my younger self – that you don’t need to be technical to understand technical concepts and it is never too late to learn. We all need to be lifelong learners and never lose our inquisitiveness.

The biggest influencer in my life – was my paternal grandmother. She was a pioneer in her day where she wasn’t allowed to be an engineer but still tinkered with machines and was a positive role model for me. She encouraged me that the world is full of possibilities and to not let someone tell me I can’t do something.

What I most want to be remembered for is – helping people and making a difference. I don’t care if people remember me for what I did but rather for how I helped them.