David Ripley

Ever since I was a child, I was facinated by technology. Specifically, I found computers to be an incredible piece of technology. How we are capable of creating machines that can run billions of operations every second, still baffels me to this day. Futhermore, these machines are not just found in the basments of high end research facilities, but have become commonplace. Fast forward a few years are now we are living in a world where the internet and machines have become so important, that one of the biggest threats to a individual now is from the digital plane. Wether directly or indirectly the rise of cyber crime cannot be ignored. Seeing just how much is at risk, and how unprepared so many individuals and companies are, that is what pushes me into this field, and why it is important now more than ever to keep security in mind when developing anything that touches the internet or critical systems.

My interest in cyber security was born in 2023. I was undecided with how I wanted to puruse my interest in computer science. There were many paths and while I wouldn’t mind most of them, they also weren’t calling me. Eventually, I stumbled upon an article talking about a recent attack that resulted in millions of people having their personal info leaked onto the net (Something that we see practically ever year now). That begun the rabbit hole that led me to taking my first cyber security course online via Coursera and Google. By no means is that certification useful. What it did provide was give the needed context and information to decide that this is what I want to do. It also led me to make some of my closest friends in college as I found others with the same interest at my univeristy’s ISSA club, which I would go on to become the president for.

As a child, I imagined myself as a areospace engineer, but I find that while I’m going in a completely different direction as to my dream, the goal has remained the same. Help create a better world than the one I was given.