Heekmat Taiwo #HerCyberStory

“My name is Heekmat Taiwo, I am a cyber-risk advisory intern at Deloitte and Touché. I studied criminology and security studies at the prestigious University of Ilorin. Pursuing a career in cybersecurity stems from my academic background. Being a criminology student, I was exposed to the theoretical aspect of cybersecurity, which caught my fancy. After graduation, I carried out research on how to get started in cybersecurity. Subsequently, I came across Cybersafe Foundation on LinkedIn, and some months later, a friend shared the application link with me for CyberGirls cohort 2.0.

Initially, my biggest challenge was the intensity of the program, it was really demanding and time-consuming. I never imagined that I would see it through to the end; however, it became easy as the learning atmosphere became peaceful, motivating, fun, and inspiring.

The fellowship has played a crucial role in my professional development, particularly in securing my first job in cybersecurity. It instilled resilience and confidence in me and taught me a lot of teamwork and adaptability skills. I also greatly benefited from the mentorship program. My mentor was exceptional, providing guidance and nurturing my needs throughout. We had amazing facilitators who made the whole learning process seamless. The valuable skills or knowledge that helped me land my cybersecurity job are numerous. I obtained a wide range of knowledge in the course of the training. From technical to non-technical skills. To sum it all up, training was very, very impactful.

I am thankful for the existence of the Cybergirls Fellowship. The training had a profound impact on my life and brought about a transformative change. It changed my perception of things, and most importantly, it was an eye-opener for me in the sense that it made me recognize the significance of hard work, determination, discipline, and consistency.”