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As Isabel Jaramillo began to think about her future, she started to take stock of what would be most important to her. A business student at College of DuPage at that point, Jaramillo realized she wanted to pursue a technical path, one where she could develop a budding interest in cybersecurity and find a profession where she could make an impact.

“Cybersecurity, to me, it’s about more than managing data; it’s also about protecting people from harm,” she says, explaining of the chance to enter a profession where women are not equally represented: “I wanted to add to that community and challenge myself to do so.”

When she came across Illinois Institute of Technology and its information technology and management program via a Google search, Jaramillo says her path forward started to become clearer.

All of what the School of Applied Technology’s ITM program offers—a hands-on, reality-based approach to solving real-life problems in a variety of disciplines—was an appealing opportunity that has given Jaramillo the chance to learn in a constantly changing environment.

“It was interesting that we’re taught by professors who were just coming out of work or who are currently in the industry. It’s so much more than just the PowerPoints that come from the textbooks,” says Jaramillo, who is a member of Gamma Nu Eta, the national information technology honor society. “We hear a lot about their experiences in the industry—their different perspectives—especially with information technology. Technology isn’t consistent. As it’s continuing to evolve, we’re all learning that together.”

Over the course of the last three years, Jaramillo has soaked up everything that’s been offered—from being able to present research at SAT’s ForenSecure Cybersecurity and Forensics Conference and Expo, to being a member of the second-place team in Illinois Tech’s Innovation Challenge that designed an app to create a community of pet owners that would reunite the lost animals with their owners in the quickest amount of time possible.

Illinois Tech’s chapter of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers was a particularly important piece of her experience. “They really taught me what it meant to grow professionally and develop while achieving my academic goals,” Jaramillo says of SHPE, adding: “Being a part of the organization exposed me to a lot of conferences and networking events, which helped me become more comfortable and gave me the opportunity to speak to different people in the industry and learn about different career paths. Attending conferences led to interviews, which led to an internship, which eventually led to my full-time offer.”

Jaramillo also acknowledged the other organizations that provided her a variety of resources such as the Association for Computing Machinery-Women and Women in Cybersecurity, and gave her the chance to attend the WiCys Conference and the Grace Hopper Celebration.

These opportunities—which Jaramillo says she was able to pursue in a safe, open environment that always made her feel welcome—were the gateway to a full-time systems security engineer position within the defense industry, a role she will take on after graduation.

As Jaramillo prepares to graduate on Saturday, May 18, as part of Illinois Tech’s co-terminal degree program—she will earn a bachelor’s in information technology and management and a master’s in cyber forensics and security—she does so having changed more than her major with a simple click of the mouse.

“I think being here, I learned to just be more confident and take chances, because back then I was never really one to speak up too much or share my ideas,” says Jaramillo, referencing the time before she came to Illinois Tech. “The students and the faculty made me feel comfortable. I always felt like I had the room to offer my perspective.”