What do you do at Booz Allen?
I help my team where I can, learning new things, so I can become as versatile as possible. My current project deals with industrial control systems for manufacturing fields, such as the pharmaceutical industry. Our team evaluates current systems and helps implement solutions to detect anomalies in the traffic of these systems and set alerts that flag deviations.
How has Booz Allen empowered you?
The culture is collaborative and respectful. It encourages confidence in myself and my work. For example, I am a mentor in the internship program, I used my biotech background to connect with a new client, and I helped launch the Women in STEM program for female interns to help them connect with successful women in cyber positions.
What’s next?
Account leadership selected me to participate in the Cyber Technical Innovators Program, a company-sponsored opportunity to develop my skills and collaborate with other innovators. My project is called “Outsmarting the Smart Bike Lock.” Smart locks use phone apps and Bluetooth technology rather than keys. I plan to use my software and hardware knowledge to reverse engineer the applications and find out how secure they really are.
Words of wisdom?
Know your limits and push yourself further. That is the only way you will grow as an individual and in your craft. Networking is also so important, not only for navigating the open, collaborative culture here, but for expanding your skills and creating relationships for future collaboration. Don’t be afraid to be the person who strikes up a conversation in the break room. You never know where it could lead.
