I first realized my love for technology in 10th grade, when I was the only girl chosen from my class as the coordinator for a science exhibition held at my school. The complex application of the simple concepts taught in class fascinated me, and eventually drove me to pursue an engineering degree. After graduating from college, I started working at ______, and was given a choice between 2 service lines to join – Financial Services and Cyber Risk. This decision would carve out my career trajectory, and hence it was important for me to make the right choice. It was particularly difficult as I did not have sufficient information, and therefore I reached out to practitioners from both service lines to get their advice. I learned that even though the Cyber Risk service line had considerably fewer female leaders, which is unfortunately still the case for many tech verticals, it offered a lot of scope for innovation and growth. I decided to join the latter, with a zeal to change people’s perception of women in technology.

I quickly knew that I made the right decision, as I was making a true impact – presenting solutions to C-suite executives from Fortune 500 companies and persuading them to take action. I was particularly drawn to the use of AI in malware detection systems, as it could analyze large volume of data in a fraction of the time required by other methods. After a few years with _____, I realized that these systems were mostly infrastructure-centric rather than data-focused. This made them expensive to implement, leaving smaller businesses, which are more vulnerable to cyber-attacks but lack the resources to implement intricate controls, exposed. My long-term career goal is thus to develop cost-effective data-centric Cyber Risk solutions for small and medium-sized businesses focusing on cyber resilience, a concept that captures the steps taken in case a cyber-attack occurred. My company will also create an online platform to train these businesses and encourage them to adopt secure practices in their day-to-day operations.

I am confident that Cornell Tech’s MBA program, which is laser-focused on bridging business and technology while providing ample hands-on learning experiences for aspiring entrepreneurs, is the best way for me to achieve my career goals. A one-year MBA program will allow me to get back to the cybersecurity space after a relatively short break, having acquired the tools I need to eventually launch my own cybersecurity venture. At Cornell Tech, I will master product ideation techniques and strengthen my product design skills through courses such as Design Thinking and Designing Data Product. This will help me land a Product Manager role immediately after completing my MBA for a company that develops highly-specialized cybersecurity products, such as Cisco or Symantec. There, I will lead product teams to build innovative solutions and learn best practices for engaging customers, understanding their pain points and identifying how to solve them.

In Product Studio, I will cultivate my entrepreneurial mindset by collaborating with likeminded students, testing different hypotheses for my future venture with guidance from world-renowned faculty. I am especially interested in cybersecurity-focused projects, where I can contribute from my own experience; in one such project, MBA ‘19 students helped improve a startup’s Initial Coin Offering process. A consulting trip to Israel, a country that invests heavily in cybersecurity and has the second highest number of startups in the space, would add immensely to my existing industry knowledge and allow me to make invaluable connections.

I also look forward to bringing my leadership skills and ability to successfully plan and implement projects to student clubs at Johnson. I intend to take an officer role in the High Tech Club and organize panels to discuss trends and developments in cybersecurity with industry experts. Additionally, I will leverage my experience volunteering for an NGO to become an active member of the Community Impact Club and work relentlessly to find new volunteering opportunities for my classmates and I to help others.

Given my experience working in a fast-paced, dynamic environments, I am confident that I will thrive at Cornell Tech’s immersive one-year program, where I will get the best of both tech and business worlds to kickstart my own venture.