Cohort Stories: Meet Michael
vol. 4, no. 62 — guest post by Michael Wellie
Ever since I was a young person running through the streets of my rural community in the eastern region of Ghana, I have always wanted to be technology person. I was fascinated by the “magic” the computer does and how it simplified life. Though I was naïve at that time and just getting to know what computers were, I understood their purpose to facilitate and hasten productivity. As grew older, I got more and more interested in technology especially during my undergraduate studies at the University for Development studies in Ghana. However, the strong question of security concerned me: How secured are computers? How safe are users of technology in a global technology world? These experiences and questions motivated me to seek a career in cyber security. Therefore, when I won a United States green card lottery, I enrolled into MassBay Community College to pursue a program in Cyber security.
Hack.Diversity is passionate about supporting the careers of students in technology. Successful students are matched to internships at topmost growing companies in Boston where they are provided the unique opportunity to learn, get mentored and grow in their chosen technology profession. This purpose aligns perfectly with my present need as a student.
Though I have received excellent education and feel equipped with theoretical and practical knowledge in cyber security, I want to close gaps in connecting this knowledge to practical experience.
And I believe a fellowship at Hack.Diversity will not only fill this gap, but it will further propel and position me to become a successful professional who will contribute to ensuring we live in a technologically safe community. Further, a Fellowship will help me expand and create lifetime professional networks which will influence my career development. I will get to meet, interact with and learn from sector experts. In other words, a real leader is somebody who can help us overcome the limitations of our own individual laziness, selfishness, weakness and fear and get us to do better things than we can do on our own.
Aside having leaders who motivate us, nothing motivates me more than setbacks in life. I learn a lot of lessons from challenges. One thing that excites me about the innovation industry is the pace at which it is moving. Modern technology is revolutionizing the way we live our lives. It has made it easy to immediately do things that once required more. However, with all this comes a great challenge of privacy. My dream is to work in the Cyber Security environment.
