I got into cyber – through software development. 

I developed stand-alone software packages for enterprise infrastructure security to upgrade and harden endpoints. I learned cybersecurity at this fundamental level and continued to build up my cyber muscle from there. Looking back, I realize that when I was most stretched, those experiences provided me with the most opportunities to grow. Persevering through challenges accelerated my learning.

I would tell my younger self – to never stop dreaming big, stay curious, work hard, be gritty, do what you love, and most importantly, be kind.

The skill that set me up for success – is learning to be comfortable with being uncomfortable for me to continuously grow. I relish in moving in the unknown to discover new ways of solving things. 

The biggest influencer in my personal life – is my mama, Virginia Lipa Mayo. She raised me to be confident and to not put a limit to my dreams she taught me everything I know. She grew up selling fruits and vegetables in the palengke (Philippines wet market) which taught her valuable negotiation skills. She met every hardship with tenacity and grace. Never shrinking in defeat but using each struggle to get better and stronger.

The quote I live by – “Bloom where you’re planted.”  I moved to the US, New Jersey from the Philippines when I was 12 years old. Adapting to a new culture, and a new way of life, made me resilient. There’s an innate reaction to shy away from challenges, but I found that the more you face them head-on with a restless drive to continuously improve, the more you learn. I bring these same lessons with me as a Resiliency Engineer to design systems that are nimble and adapt to change to continuously deliver despite disasters.