10 Questions with Zinet Kemal
Information Security Engineer | she/her
Zinet Kemal (she/her) is a cybersecurity professional, recent immigrant from Ethiopia, and a millennial mother of four. She started her tech career at Hennepin County, a local government administration in Minnesota, as an IT Auditor conducting cybersecurity audits to strengthen security policies, governance, and controls. She also had a law degree and legal career in Ethiopia before she moved to the US in 2013 with her husband and 3-year-old son.
Zinet recently joined the State of Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) as an Information Security Engineer. She works on the development and implementation of security solutions to protect citizens’ data.
In 2018, Zinet graduated from Metropolitan State University, with a BS in Computer Science and the University’s prestigious Outstanding Student Finalist Award from the College of Sciences. She is currently pursuing a Masters in Cybersecurity, Policy track, from Georgia Institute of Technology and worked as an adjunct instructor for an Information Security class at a community college.
Zinet holds a variety of cybersecurity certifications, including CISA, COMPTIA Security Analytics Professional (CSAP), CySA+, Security+, and Network+. She is a member of Women in Cybersecurity (WiCys), ISACA, and Information Security Systems Association (ISSA) and served as a Technology Director of ISSA Minnesota Chapter in 2019.
Zinet is a two-time recipient of the Upper Midwest Security Alliance Foundation Scholarship and was recently featured in SheLeadsTech newsletter and Women in Technology International. She is a mother of two boys and two girls aged: 10, 7, 5 years, and 6-month-old.
1. How did you get into tech?
Before I moved to the United States 7 years ago, I worked in the legal field in Ethiopia, so my tech career began rather from scratch. However, my interest in technology started much earlier, and I had always been fascinated by the power of technology to solve everyday problems.
A few months after arriving here, I started a program in computer programming at a community college. Initially, the plan was to get a job after completing my Associate degree in two years, but I knew before the program ended I needed to expand my knowledge further. I transferred to a four-year university to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, and while in my third year, I got the opportunity to do an IT internship within three different departments at a local government, which gave me hands-on experience and exposure to American work culture. In my final year, I got to represent the university in the 2018 Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition and secured third place among Minnesota universities!
Through those experiences, my interest in cybersecurity and career path sharpened. I started getting industry certifications, and before graduation, I was fortunate to secure a full-time role as an IT Auditor at the local government where I did my internship. I am always grateful to those leaders who advocated on my behalf and believed in my potential.
I am now in the second semester of my Masters in Cybersecurity at Georgia Institute of Technology, and I can’t wait to see where this journey takes me!
2. Who is one person in your life you looked up to when you were younger?
For me, my role model has always been my mother. She is a resilient worker, and pushed all her children forward to pursue their dreams, no matter the challenge.
Growing up, my parents always stressed the value of education and fought hard to make sure we were in better schools. I remember from a young age that although my mother didn’t have the means, she managed to enroll myself and my three siblings in a school where we could get a quality education. The school was very far away and its tuition costly, but she’d take all four of us there every day, which took more than 4 hours of public transportation.
My mother kept our family together through various afflictions. She struggled through unemployment, through poverty, and even through the loss of her twin children. After we all grew up, she went back to school while working full-time to complete her education, which she hadn’t been able to do while raising us.
I learned so much from my mother. As an African woman, she understood the burdens on women in the household and taught me the importance of being economically independent. She remains a great source of encouragement through my success to this day. She truly is an exemplary role model: compassionate, supportive, loyal, and resilient.
3. Where’s your hometown?
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
4. When’s a time you faced a struggle, and how did you deal with it?
One of my biggest struggles when I went back to school was the question of balancing it with my career and raising three young children. It was very difficult, especially being new to this country and not having much help.
Finding affordable childcare has been even more difficult. I have to plan everything ahead of time, making sure I take most classes online or at night if possible. I do my homework and studies late at night after the kids go to bed, or on the train commuting to work.
There were times I seriously considered quitting my internship because finding the balance felt too challenging. However, I saw the internship as a great steppingstone in my career and kept going. I’m glad I did, because one cannot afford to lose such an opportunity being in the middle of a career change, an immigrant, and on top of that, a woman of color. It’s also been rewarding knowing that I have inspired my children. I was able to show them how to be consistent and pursue goals to the finish line despite challenges.
Another struggle when I started my tech career was not having the background in mathematics or programming. I had very limited exposure to computers; there was limited technology resources in general in Ethiopia, even in schools at a higher education level. I still remember in high school that one computer would be assigned to five students for one hour per week; it was a struggle to even get a keystroke in! It may sound funny, but it’s true.
I also noticed that in almost all my classes I was one of the very few women, if not the only Black woman. On top of school and learning how to break into the American workforce, this has presented another hurdle.
For these reasons, I doubted whether I was going to succeed in almost all the programming classes I attended. However, I rose to the challenge and studied harder than everyone else to catch up to my classmates who were born in the U.S.
5. What is something you are immensely proud of?
Finding the courage to go back to school in a field that is male-dominated, and in which I had absolutely no background. Despite juggling childcare, school, and part-time work, I not only earned my degree with an award, but also three cybersecurity certifications.
It’s motivating to see how my story has inspired my colleagues, friends, and family. When you embark on a journey of growth, you can encounter negativity and microaggressions along the way from folks who want to drag you down. However, I have always latched onto the positive and kept my eyes on the prize.
6. What’s something that’s been on your mind a lot lately?
The gender and racial pay gaps have always been on my mind. But lately, I am thinking about the pandemic and all the uncertainty it brings as the world heads into uncharted territory. Technology has kept people connected in this time of isolation, and it’s become an essential part of making every aspect of life easier.
I’m also thinking about the impact of institutional racism, including years of grave police brutality against Black people and other people of color. I think about the anguish it continues to cause Black communities in the US. The pandemic and its disproportionate impact on Black communities have only laid bare long-standing racial disparities. It’s time we do our part to educate ourselves and make long-overdue policy change.
7. Favorite food?
I love my Ethiopian traditional foods, especially Doro wot, spicy chicken stew, and kitfo. Try it!
8. Favorite book?
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah, Becoming by Michelle Obama, and The Memo: What Women of Color Need to Know to Secure a Seat at the Table by Minda Harts are recent favorites.
9. If you could try another job for a day, what would it be?
An elected official, so I could listen to what people’s challenges are and become part of their solution. I think I am already doing this at home with my four kids and husband; so maybe in the near future, I can do it for real. :-)
10. If you could give your 18-year-old self a piece of advice, what would it be?
Get as much sleep as you can, and nap every chance you get before you have babies.
Dream big, start small, and know that the opportunities ahead of you are endless!
