Who am I?

Hello, my name is Janae Craig. I am a freshman at Old Dominion University. I will receive a bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity in the spring of 2024. I grew up in Stafford, Virginia, with my two parents, Gail and Walter Craig, who have always supported me in all of my undertakings, as well as my brother and sister, from whom I have learned many life skills. In high school, I was a member of the National Honors Society (NHS), competed in national science fairs, participated in a few volunteer opportunities, and was captain of the cheerleading team for three years in a row.

How did I get interested in cybersecurity?

I was in high school trying to figure out what my college major would be. I took a lot of tests, but the results were things I wasn’t interested in. I was looking through descriptions of majors and potential jobs and couldn’t seem to find anything that piqued my interest until I came across ethical hacking. I love technology, particularly my computer, and I’ve always been concerned about my personal information being stolen or hacked. When I learned that there was a job where I could stay one step ahead of cybercriminals by beating them at their own game (hacking), but in a positive way that benefited society, I jumped at the chance. I was immediately intrigued and have remained so ever since.

What are my goals?

My goal is to finish college and earn a bachelor’s degree in Cybersecurity while learning technical skills like hacking, problem-solving, and programming. Then I plan to shift my focus to ethical hacking and study for the CompTIA Certified Ethical Hacker professional certification (CEH). In terms of long-term goals, I hope to become an ethical hacker and land a great job where I can put everything I’ve learned to good use and do what I’m truly interested in, which is working alongside companies in improving their security situations.

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