My name is Okrah Opoku. My college was the first place where I motivated myself to get a degree in cybersecurity. I started my higher education at Old Dominion University. My major up until this semester is Cybersecurity. I chose this major because I want to do something in IT and I want to protect people from online crimes and abuses. As the use of technology is increasing day by day so does the need for cybersecurity. Cybersecurity is also an interesting field that attracts me. With this degree, I want to get a job in cybersecurity where I will make the company and people safe. My ultimate goal is to get a job with a good position in the cybersecurity field and protect other people from the dangers of internet crimes.

I did my schooling at West Potomac High School. I went to Nova Community college which was located near my home. Over these past three years, I have learned a variety of skills throughout my courses. I have learned and grown and have become someone ready to graduate in 10 months. Most of the work in my portfolio is from my IT-based classes taken at Old Dominion University. Other pieces of work are from the very first cybersecurity class I took in the first semester of my freshmen year. Also displayed in the portfolio is work from a difficult but rewarding philosophy class I took my sophomore year. Every piece of work I have done has helped me learn and grow and shaped me into the person I am today.

I chose this field because studying for a career in cyber security teaches you how to defend computer systems, networks, and data from intruders via the internet. You’ll learn how to keep an eye on your systems and how to deal with any problems that come your way. Antivirus software and firewalls are no longer enough to halt cyber intrusions. It is no longer a matter of “if” but rather “when” a cyber assault will occur for businesses and organizations. Because of this, cyber security is very critical. When it comes to securing our data from cyberattackers, it covers all aspects of this topic. This includes sensitive data, government and industrial information, personal information, intellectual property, personally identifiable information, and protected health data. Since my major is cybersecurity, I am cramming in most of the IT courses in my last year of college. Over the years naturally, I have acquired IT skills. I went back and read the first paper I wrote for my English class my first semester of freshmen year. This paper to me was extremely bland. I was simply stating facts about IT. No actual interest was shown in the publication, and it didn’t have anything to maintain the reader’s attention. Seeing how my work evolved when I was a teenager was fascinating to reminisce about.

One year later, I found myself enrolled in a challenging class on cybersecurity. This course required a lot of written and practical work, therefore I based my paper on the readings and lectures we had in class. Students were expected to put up a lot of effort in this class. This class was something to be proud of, in my opinion. My professor and I discussed the book during office hours, and I also attended all of the lectures and took copious notes. In addition, I watched a variety of IT tutorials on YouTube. I believe that if you put in the effort and genuinely dedicate yourself to your work, you will benefit from it. Taking the class is not enough; you must devote your entire attention and effort to mastering the content to put your knowledge to good use in the future. In the end, I got a good grade on my paper, but the most important thing was that I was able to apply the abilities I had acquired to other tasks, which allowed me to continue to develop and learn.

In my junior year, I had to take a subject called Information Technology 104, which was quite challenging. Because I am hopeless when it comes to computers, this lesson was a real struggle for me. Self-driving automobiles were the topic of my class’s one mandatory paper. Considering that I had no prior understanding of self-driving cars, I found this study to be well-written. During lectures, I was able to apply what I’d learned to the paper. This paper would have been improved had I studied more for the class and incorporated more of the class’s technological references. If I had done that, the professor would have known that I had worked hard all semester to study and incorporate that knowledge into my report. Even though this paper was for a class I disliked, and the subject matter did not interest me in the least, it was nonetheless beautifully written. Occasionally, you’ll be required to write on topics that hold no interest to you whatsoever. I learned how to accomplish this from this paper.

Two semesters’ worth of assignments may be found in my learning portfolio. I’ve written two essays, one about company management and the other about my life story. Another tedious project for someone who has no interest in working in the corporate world. However, I came to Old Dominion intending to do everything perfectly and give it my all at all times; this was one of my goals. It wasn’t long before I forgot about this business report. When preparing the business report, you had to do extensive research on the firm you were reporting on. My Intro to Cybersecurity class required a film reaction paper, which I completed as well. I had to write a report about a video I viewed at home. Even though I wasn’t in class at the time of the film’s showing, I was still able to do adequate research and write a well-received report. I have learned how to operate in the IT sector and how essential cybersecurity is to the world during the course of my college career. As a result of performing my research, I also learned a great deal.

A few projects that I have already completed as a cybersecurity student was included in my portfolio. One was for a cybersecurity class writing assignment. An email essay was the subject of this piece. An email example from high school was utilized in this article, which was a lot of fun to write. I think it’s easier to write about something you’re interested in. Although I rushed through this assignment, I was able to deliver high-quality results and earn a good score. Achieving anything like this two years ago would have been impossible for me, therefore it’s a huge accomplishment for me. Additionally, I interned at Walmart and Five Guys, where I excelled. My sister and cousin let me observe them while they worked as a Business analyst.

The most horrible event in my life was when a bear tried to attack me and my friend. Having established a safe distance from the intruder, we halted our movement. After learning that bears are frightened by sudden movements, I pleaded with my companions to remain motionless and calm. One of the bears swung at us and rushed at us. As soon as we saw this, we all started racing backward, yet we all kept calm and remained in our current spots. In my memory, I had heard that most bears do not attack but rather attempt to flee by rushing, yawning, snapping, and turning away just before the attack occurs. I hoped that bear’s charge was a ruse to trick us into thinking he was going to attack us. There are no words to describe our terror. In any case, we held our ground, and the bear took a few steps back before stopping, looking at us, and growling. Maybe he was scaring us, and it was working like a charm. We eventually made our way back to the starting position as the bear resumed his activity. My entire life flashed before my eyes as the bear approached us.

In conclusion, I still have many much to learn about IT and cybersecurity, but I have progressed a lot in the last few years. If I keep working hard, I will get a good degree in cybersecurity and an excellent career in this sector. As a future cybersecurity professional, I aspire to be self-sufficient, capable of handling any task and protecting others.