Christina's Open Road

CHRISTINA MORILLO

Vice President of Technology and Information Risk
Morgan Stanley

LEADER INFO:

INTERESTS:

Business Technology

THEMES DISCUSSED:

Individualism Self-Reflection Hard Work Struggle Experience Exploration Perseverance Chance Family Passion Community Doubt

FOUNDATION:

Learning / Being Challenged

BIOGRAPHY:

• At the age of ten, she visited a friend who owned an Apple computer and a dot matrix printer.
• Her own family couldn’t afford their own computer, so she was transfixed; she didn’t want to play outside, she just wanted to print banners.
• When she was in high school, she started doing information technology (IT) support work and troubleshooting; her natural curiosity meant that she learned scripts quickly.
• In college, she decided to completely immerse herself in the field, simultaneously taking a network administration program, earning Microsoft certifications, and doing IT work full-time.
• Says once her door into tech had been opened, it was simply a matter of navigating the path she wanted to take.
• Along that path, an opportunity in cybersecurity arose; at the time, the field wasn’t as popular as it is now.
• However, she brought a willingness to learn new things and a fresh perspective to the role, which is why she thinks she was chosen for the job.
• To encourage more perspectives like hers in the tech world, she co-founded WOC in Tech Chat, a supportive community for women of color working in technology.