One year ago I was an inexperienced, uninvolved, and first-generation Hispanic remote community college student participating in my first cybersecurity competition against Stanford and two dozen other universities. Six months later, I was the president of my community college’s cybersecurity club, had a part-time job in cybersecurity, and was accepted as a transfer student to the University of California Fullerton. This wasn’t easy, however, as my parents had always advocated for pursuing work instead of attending college. I listened to their advice and worked in retail unhappily for years. I knew this wasn’t right for me, so I eventually decided to do things my way and enrolled in my local community college. I was hoping school would change my life but it didn’t, it was me. I chose to branch out into cybersecurity and put myself out there in every way possible. Luckily the cybersecurity community is strong and I was able to find a home within it. I have since transferred to pursue a Bachelor's in computer science with a concentration in cybersecurity and I’m looking into obtaining a Master's in cybersecurity. This isn’t just a major anymore, it is my life and I wouldn’t trade it for any other. Before I started cybersecurity I was taking classes remotely and spent my time helping those who fell behind or couldn’t understand the content. It was through helping my peers that I met a friend who invited me to a cybersecurity competition. We had the minimum team size to compete, and though I was a complete beginner the team welcomed me. We ended up in the regional finals one month later competing against the top Western universities. We stayed three nights at a hotel, met countless sponsors, and had fun defending our network against hackers. A week later I ended up in the school newspaper, website, blog, and professors suddenly knew who I was. I also found myself speaking in front of my peers about cybersecurity. I felt alive and wanted others to join me, so alongside my friend, we revived our school’s cybersecurity club. We then reached out to other universities and community colleges, and within months we were doing events and workshops together. We created a community both at our school and in our area. Through my experiences, I became passionate and heavily involved in my field. However, there is still much I aspire to do at my new university. Within two months of transferring, I found myself leading my new club’s blue team, leading the blue village in a conference we are creating, and finding an advisor to help propose security research at our school. I soon hope to do my master's and focus on studying cybersecurity. Pursuing my Master’s will also allow me more time to network and prepare to create my own business. I’m not sure what I want to create or if I will even be successful. But I will try and do my best as always. In summary, I want to continue learning and getting involved in the cybersecurity community. This scholarship will allow me the opportunity to push toward that goal and succeed academically.