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Our most recent virtual event was fantastic! The Women in Cybersecurity Careers Panel held on November 29, 2023, featured five experts in cybersecurity who spoke about their career journeys, fielded questions from event attendees, and engaged in wide-ranging conversation. The panel was organized by Computing for All in collaboration with the Women in Cybersecurity (WiCyS) University of Washington Tacoma Chapter. Our goal was to provide WiCyS Chapter members and any students or job seekers interested in cybersecurity as a career with insights and advice from industry experts.
If you missed the panel, you can watch a recording of it below and catch up on the excellent discussion.
The panel was moderated by Starr Abdelhadi from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Starr set the tone for the event and created a welcoming atmosphere for panelists and attendees alike as she led the discussion. Each panelist shared the story of their individual journeys, providing insight into the variety of ways that cybersecurity careers can develop and grow both now and in exciting new directions in the future.
The women on the panel represented a variety of roles in cybersecurity, including Cyber Security Engineer, Senior Security Technical PM, and Principal Advisor for Security and Risk, among others. They shared the wealth of their expertise as they responded to audience questions about entry-level careers. Topics included how to make a resume stand out, why finding and completing hands-on projects is so important for your portfolio, what kinds of soft skills are needed, and the value of industry certifications versus academic and other kinds of degrees. They also discussed their experiences as women in a male-dominated field and talked about how AI will affect the future of cybersecurity. The audience asked good questions and shared their own journeys and experiences throughout, making it a dynamic and engaging event.
Thank you to all the panelists–Starr Abdelhadi, Bianca Steele, Kathy Ahuja, Samreen Khadeer, and Vanessa Ali–for volunteering their time to share their experience and advice with everyone. Thank you also to Nnenna Agha from the University of Washington Tacoma chapter of Women in Cybersecurity (WiCyS) for helping to organize this event!
Panelists
Starr Abdelhadi
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Moderator
Starr’s journey began as a sexual assault advocate before pursuing a master’s in cyber security. She has experience as a Cyber Security Analyst and is currently a Cyber Security Researcher specializing in Digital Forensics and Incident Response in operational technology and Internet of Things.
Bianca Steele
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Panelist
Bianca is a Cyber Security Engineer at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory with a degree in computer science and software engineering from the University of Washington Bothell. Her work includes secure software and cybersecurity tool development, supply chain security, and critical infrastructure cybersecurity.
Kathy Ahuja
Kalles Group
Panelist
Kathy is an experienced cybersecurity and risk leader who has shaped the Governance, Risk and Compliance strategy and culture at Fortune 500 companies. She is a Principal Advisor for Security and Risk at Kalles Group, serving clients in the FinTech and Financial Services.
Samreen Khadeer
Microsoft
Panelist
Samreen is currently a Sr. Security Technical PM at Microsoft where she primarily supports the cryptography team under the Azure Edge and Platform group. Prior to working at Microsoft, she worked on the AWS cryptography team and the Starbucks Application Security team as a Security Engineer.
Vanessa Ali
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Panelist
Vanessa is a first-generation Indian born in the Fiji Islands who spent five years in the healthcare industry before transitioning to cybersecurity, where she is captivated by the challenge of safeguarding digital information. She obtained her bachelor’s degree from Columbia Basin College, the first in her family to do so.