Alexis White is a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) student who has just made Louisiana history.
According to KNOE News, White — a graduate of Grambling State University — is the first person in the entire state to ever get a degree in cybersecurity.
White will be interning at the Clinton Global Initiative University before she goes on to the rest of her career.
The HBCU student says her entire journey to success almost didn’t happen. The day before she was set to interview with the Clinton Global Initiative, her grandmother fell ill — and White almost didn’t want to go to the interview for fear that she would miss out on her grandmother.
“So, the next day she actually passed away. So I didn’t get a chance to tell her but she knew what I was doing, and so after that, I got the email saying that I had gotten the position, the cybersecurity position with governance, risk, and compliance. So just to say, I am so happy that I was able to get that position and to make my family proud,” White said to KNOE News.
The professors at the university were also impressed because White was able to finish her degree in two years.
And by no means were things easy for the HBCU student. According to the school’s website, the program “provides comprehensive undergraduate level training and produce well-trained information security professionals. Graduates of the program would be highly sought-after by a range of private-sector industries in the Louisiana State, local government agencies, industries, federal government, and defense organizations.”
Still, her advice for aspiring cybersecurity professionals like herself is simple: stay positive, no matter what bad things may come your way.
“My journey was not easy, but it was achievable,” White said. “If you can get yourself to think positively, keep going no matter the opposition, and just do it, it can be done.”
