March 2023
Alumni Spotlight: Norma Depriest NCL Players Committee Member
Tell me how you first got involved with the NCL.
I first became involved with the NCL as a freshman in college in 2018, I was in a college that had no cyber league and very little interaction between students. I sought out to change colleges, looking for one that had a cyber league presence when I stumbled upon Southern New Hampshire University. I was immediately made to feel welcome by fellow students and encouraged to attempt to participate in NCL. Setting all nerves aside and plunging in feet first with the support of other CyberSNHUpers that had gone before me, I got the first season under my belt and was instantly hooked. I was then faced with impending graduation and did not want to have to stop experiencing the immersive learning environment that had reinforced the concepts that I was learning at school. In a panic mode, I applied to graduate school and I applied to become a Player Ambassador. I was accepted to both and now hold a master’s in cyber security and still have my strong convictions of the benefits of NCL that I am a Players Committee Member (formerly known as Player Ambassador).
If you could choose anyone, who would you pick as your mentor?
I would have to say Alissa Knight, I have spoken with her multiple times and am still fascinated by her. Nicole Eagan – Darktrace as I have an extreme curiosity in AI where it comes to cybersecurity. And last but most certainly not least, Tatiana Garcia – Director of International Security Walmart, I spoke with her at WiCyS 2019 and she piqued my interest on those invisible geographical boundaries with regard to security laws.
What do you wish other people knew about the NCL?
The first detail I wish other people knew about the NCL is how much it compliments your formal education. Being able to delve into hands-on practice for the variety of domains in cyber security and keeping relevant on what you would experience in a professional environment is a perfect way to alleviate potential shock of not knowing what a role may need.
What is your favorite cybersecurity resource, blog, website?
Actually, I aggregate my own content on a Start. me page that allows me to pull in RSS feeds from multiple sources. The main feeds on it are DarkReading, Bleeping Computer, Krebs on Security, and I have multiple other start.me’s on it that link to various cyber security tools and resources like: https://start.me/p/m6Kj56/osint
https://start.me/p/0PGKad/darkweb
https://start.me/p/W1AXYo/toolkit
What is your motto or personal mantra?
I build unstoppable momentum with every step I take. You can do and be anything that you want to be if you have the passion and desire for it, dreams and aspirations have no space for hate of any form.