Meet Christine Izuakor, 27, a Senior Security Analyst at United
Airlines. She is responsible for managing security functions from
network vulnerability management to negotiating legal aspects of data
security for contracts across the enterprise. Her chat with Punch’s Joy
Marcus:
What schools did you attend?
I
earned a Ph.D. in Security Engineering from the University of Colorado
at Colorado Springs, becoming the youngest and first African American
woman to do so at the university. My research focused on critical
infrastructure security and has been published in several international
journals, including the International Journal of Critical Infrastructure
Protection. My original contributions to the security industry have
also been presented in international conferences from Washington, DC to
Rome, Italy. I also completed a master’s degree in Information Systems
Security from University of Houston in 2012 and I am also a Certified
Information Systems Security Professional.
What is your work history?
I
started out as a 16-year-old cashier at Six Flags Astroworld in 2005.
In 2007, I became a market researcher at Creative Consumer Research.
From 2007-2010, I worked in retail, first as a cashier at Citi Trends
Clothing and then Head Cashier at Home Depot. My last job before
entering into my professional career was as a party coordinator at
WonderWild in 2010. That year, I left Wonder Wild to start my IT
security internship at Continental Airlines, where I remained for one
year. I was eventually offered a full-time job with the merged and new
United Airlines as an IT Audit Analyst on the Governance, Risk, and
Compliance team. In 2016, I was promoted to my current role as a Senior
IT Security Analyst.
I am also active in the diversity and
inclusion community. I am a co-founder and the Vice President of
GenTrend, United Airlines’ Millennial business resource group and serve
as the Head Editor of the Illinois Diversity Council Editorial Board.
This is in addition to being a member of the National Diversity Council
Newsletter Committee, and volunteer as a cyber-security mentor with Year
Up.
Tell us about your work with Gen Trend?
Gen Trend
is a business resource group within United Airlines. The organisation’s
mission is to attract, engage, and retain the next generation of
aviation employees and customers. The work started with a core research
team that I led back in 2012 to better understand the evolution of the
work force and trends across generations, with specific attention to
Millennials. It has since evolved, with the significant contributions of
the other co-founders, United leaders, and the board, into the great
organisation it is today. I currently serve as the vice president of the
organisation. In this role, I, in collaboration with the President,
effectively led a collaborative team effort to translate ideas and
priorities from numerous stakeholders into a 2017 strategy that aligned
with the values and mission of the business resource group and company.
Alongside seven phenomenal leaders that make up our board, we are
currently executing on that strategy and can’t wait to see how we will
influence the future of the company.
Who are your role models and how have they inspired your career?
I
draw inspiration from different people and platforms, so I don’t really
have specific role models. I look for people who have made it to where I
am trying to go, study their journeys, and use their lessons to create
my own path. I also follow different inspirational pages and powerful
multi-faceted women profiles on Instagram for inspiration. A few people I
draw quite a bit of inspiration from include Michelle Obama, Sharon
Grant, my family, Onika Maraj, and a young woman I recently met through
Year Up, Symone Latham-Dior.
What challenges did you encounter while studying for a PhD?
I
think two of the biggest challenges for me were:Some experienced
professors in academia said that I was too early in my career to pursue a
PhD, but I used this doubt as motivation and reminded myself that there
were way more people encouraging and supporting me than discouraging. I
also had to remind myself that as human beings we tend to project our
experiences and limitations on others. Instead of saying, “When I was
your age, I don’t think I could have done this,” they said, “You are too
young. You can’t do it.”I had to teach myself to distinguish the two
(genuine feedback vs. projection). Continuing to push on after each
failure is a challenge, but I have learned over time to continue
building resilience.
from the first one and accepted at the second two. If I had given up, I
wouldn’t be here. I submitted papers for publications and conferences
that were denied. I took the feedback, worked hard to improve the work,
and tried again many times until I succeeded. This is prevalent
throughout my entire journey. You get knocked down a lot, and you have
to learn to bounce back quickly.
What are the key skills and qualities one must possess to earn a PhD?
Resilience,
passion for your topic, true dedication to finishing your programme,
and great time management skills are critical to success. Throughout the
journey, there will be sacrifices, possibly tears and breaking points
that test your dedication to continuing with research, and times when
you begin to question your own intelligence. But, there will also be
amazing discoveries, joyous moments, and a sense of relief and
accomplishment when you officially get greeted as Dr. for the first
time. It feels awesome!
What do you think are the important characteristics and abilities for any person’s success?
Same as above: resilience, passion, dedication, and time management
What is your ultimate career goal?
Most
people look at me like I am a crazy dreamer when I talk about my goals
in general. Right now, a few of my main career goals are to become a
Chief Information Security Officer and a business owner (I am also an
entrepreneur at heart).
Where do you see yourself in the next five years?
In
five years, like any other year, I see myself continuously dedicated to
reaching my full potential while inspiring others to reach theirs as
well along the way. One of my biggest goals is to inspire as many people
as I can during my lifetime. The career goals, life goals, etc. evolve
over time and I am sure if today, I painted a picture of who I “want to
be” in five years, it will look nothing like where I really end up. God
always has a great way of surprising me. I trust in his plans for me,
and know that wherever I am in five years, it will be epic!
What are your hobbies? What else interests you?I
love to travel. I have a goal to visit 30 countries before I turn 30.
So far, I have been to 22 countries. From exploring the rich Asian
cultures of Japan and China, to the pure and scenic country sides of
Switzerland and Ireland, and back to the relaxing beaches of Mexico and
Dominican Republic, I learn so much about myself and this world through
travel. I was actually 35,000 ft in the air on a flight to Hong Kong
when I typed this response. A few future places on my list include
Iceland, Australia, Brazil, Greece, and South Africa.
