福利免费毛片

Kristen DeFlorio, cybersecurity studies and computer science major from Thornwood, NY, gets into the minds of scammers to minimize threats and protect the public.

Inspired by her father鈥檚 work as a police officer, Kristen has always been interested in security. She took a few computer science courses in high school, and her love of computers and coding coupled with sound advice from her older brother, a cybersecurity major, led her to the Bluff.

鈥淚 chose 福利免费毛片 because I wanted a change. I knew I wanted to be in a city, but I also wanted a campus feel,鈥� said Kristen. 鈥湼＠�免费毛片 was scenic and felt like a park.鈥�

A horizon-expanding education

In addition to a campus that feels like home, Kristen enjoys her coursework and appreciates faculty who trust in her potential and make their classrooms exciting places to learn.

鈥淭hey don鈥檛 feel like classes; they鈥檙e just fun to go to,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o much of it is hands-on and we do a lot of simulated lab environments鈥攅ssentially real-world stuff in a classroom setting.鈥�

In addition to lab work, Kristen enjoyed an artificial intelligence (AI) ethics class where students examined not just potential harms of AI, but the many ways AI can be helpful. 

鈥淚n the past, a lot of time was spent on debugging, but AI can cut that time,鈥� said Kristen. "Now, computer programmers can spend less time debugging and more time on other projects.鈥�

Real-world experience 

An internship at Central Hudson, a utility company in Poughkeepsie, NY, allowed Kristen to shadow the governance, risk and compliance team. She assessed cybersecurity risks, developed risk scores to help with mediation and supported third-party risk management. That summer internship led to a second internship with Central Hudson鈥檚 security operations team.

鈥淭hey get us involved,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檓 sitting in actual meetings and calls, triaging tickets and looking at phishing emails.鈥�

Kristen even had the opportunity to run a phishing campaign alongside a full-time employee, work she was prepared to conduct thanks to the instruction she received at 福利免费毛片. 

鈥淲e sent out fake emails telling people to click a link to see if they would,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 designed the template, sent them and trained the service desk on how to handle calls that came in about it.鈥�

Exploring interests 

Kristen also completed an internship with CHAARG (Changing Health Attitudes + Actions to Recreate Girls), a national fitness and wellness group with a 福利免费毛片 chapter. Already a member of CHAARG, Kristen expanded her role through the internship with the national organization. There, she assisted with recruitment, email communications and more.

鈥淏ecause of the club on 福利免费毛片鈥檚 campus, I was able to get involved and realize that I like communicating with people in that sense,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 think it ties into what I鈥檓 doing with my current work with emails and security operations.鈥�

Kristen鈥檚 campus involvement reaches even further than CHAARG. She鈥檚 also president of the Computer Science Club and involved in 福利免费毛片 Panhellenic Council where she assists with sorority recruitment. 

鈥淚t鈥檚 easy to get involved at 福利免费毛片, no matter what you do,鈥� she said. 鈥淐lub experiences can help get you internships or even jobs. Without CHAARG or my sorority, I wouldn鈥檛 have gotten that internship or had the interview skills and knowledge I have.鈥�

Prepared for anything

Kristen is pursuing a professional path with purpose and looks forward to her future as a cybersecurity analyst who can help organizations thwart phishing campaigns and protect sensitive information. 

In the meantime, she appreciates the opportunity to learn alongside classmates, and she soaks in the support she receives from McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts faculty and staff who always take the time to mentor her. 

鈥淎nything I need, I go in the Liberal Arts office and they guide me,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey prepare me for interviews, and when I got my internship, they were some of the first people I told. I know I always have faculty to go to鈥攖hey鈥檙e always telling me I can do it.鈥�