Program Reflection
Old Dominion University’s LeADERS program is a wonderful pathway connecting students to enriching courses and active learning experiences resulting in a competitive edge in their major leading them to their career goal. The program connects students to courses and real-world experiences in the areas of Leadership, Academic Internship, Diversity, Entrepreneurship, Research, or Service Learning. The LeADERS ePortfolio demonstrate how my experiences in the areas of leadership, diversity, and entrepreneurship have supported my personal and professional development. Overall, leading me to be very well prepared for future employers in my field.
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Making Connections
My friend notified me that some classes that I had already completed in the past fulfill some areas. I right away got curious and scheduled a meeting with Jenn Grimm. I joined LeADERS because, on top of not knowing my courses counted for the program, I liked how LeADERS led students like me to keep going on in the college journey. As well as be active in school, fulfilling courses that would help me get employed, showcasing my academic skills to future employers, and overall demonstrate the personality skills I have gained at ODU. On top of all that, it was also impressive to know that as an accomplishment token of completing the program, LeADER candidates would receive a medal for the hard work. ​
Looking Back
Overcoming Challenges
As a cybersecurity student and joining the program in Spring 2020, close to wrapping up my senior year, there were some challenges that I encountered throughout my LeADERS courses. Since the LeADERS program is still developing due that it is still a bit new, there were not enough cybersecurity classes that met the course curriculum to complete the areas of the program. I had to rely on my criminal justice and IT minors to seek a course seat fulfilling LeADERS. This challenge did cause some frustration and worries for me due that the past verified, LeADERs courses were not active for Fall 2020 and lowered my chances to have a spot in a class as well as fulfilling an area for the upcoming semester.
To overcome this challenge, I reached out to the LeADERS team, and quickly we sat down together through zoom, going over the other alternatives I can do. This method helped me, and it led me to have three areas get completed by the end of Fall 2020. By joining a bit late, already being a senior, I did experience some trouble finding old coursework when it came to showing the diversity area. I had taken the class when I was a freshman, and from that time, the blackboard page got locked by the professor. To solve this problem, I looked through my old files on my laptop to find course work related to the area as well as asked the professor to unlock the blackboard page.
What LeADER component contributed to my success?
During my time in the LeADERS program, I had gained some moments. I had never before created an ePortfolio using Wix, just creating sites by HTML coding. LeADERS had told me I can still use my HTML ePortfolio and add the LeADERS content on it, but I wanted to experience and learn a new showcase website. The following summer, I played around with Wix and created my new ePortfolio website. Within two weeks, I learned how to work with Wix and created cool visual content.
By doing so, it had led me to be an eP assistant within the ODU CHIP department and helping other LeADER candidates with their ePortfolio or solving tech problems. On top of the success, it is teaching me how to talk to students and classes, which will come in handy when I will be talking to clients in the future in my cybersecurity field. Overall, all the LeADERs courses have led me to correctly think, act, behave, and have the proper knowledge in the professional field that I am seeking to be part of once I leave Old Dominion University. These experiences come in handy because employers will be impressed with my character.
ODU ePortfolio Team on August 2020 orientation, preparing for Fall 2020 semester
Connecting LeADERS Experiences
My professional goals are to stop cyber predators from hurting children in cyberspace either through a government agency or organization. My LeADERS experiences ( Leadership, Diversity, and Entrepreneurship) have taught me the importance of making fast decisions as well as learning to work in a team. These skills are needed, in the field that I am seeking to be in because it relates to protecting children and capturing malicious people fast. For my Leadership area, I enrolled in PHIL 355E, Cybersecurity Ethics. The course was not at all about being a leader and bossing people around but led me to learn that in the cybersecurity field, one needs to make moral decisions depending on the case one faces that will help everybody fair even the enemy.
I now know it's not about just stopping harm for all good people but as well for the enemy to get proper help. Within the Diversity experience, I took a World Religion course, and it taught me that when it comes to making ethical decisions, my personal beliefs must not get in the way and blind me to see the real importance when it comes to helping others. If so, nothing will get done. Finally, CYSE 494, Entrepreneurship in Cybersecurity, taught me that anything is possible to do if you put your mind and hard work to make it a reality. By creating a business plan, it taught the hard steps that are required to take for a project to come out good. Also, the belief within yourself has to occur first for your results to come out as you want. It can not just be done all sloppy or else the project will not last.
Looking Foward
After graduation, I have so many goals that I have set for myself to complete. My educational goal is to work on getting my Security+ certificates due that it will bring me higher chances to get hired for government employment, which is my dream. Professionally, I will be interning at firms or companies to gain more professional experience to add to my resume. Personally, my goals are to not give up the amount of hard work that I still have inside me and to still continue my dream to help children from cyber predators.
I know to get there I need to gain more skills and knowledge which gives me more motivation to not give up. My experiences with LeADERS have prepared me very well to achieve my goals after graduation because, within the ePortfolio area leading me to work with the eP team, I'm gaining skills that I will need when it comes to helping further people in the future. It has taught me to not be scared to speak up and to help anyone as much as I can. On top of that, if I don't know an answer, I am now not scared to ask my colleague for advice or guidance. ​