Diana Graham Dudas
Senior Cybersecurity Assurance Analyst
SunTrust
Atlanta, GA USA
“Don’t write a job off because you don’t think you can do it. You’ll learn what you need to know along the way.”
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By Roadtrip NationDiana Graham Dudas
Milestones
My road in life has been direct.
I had no idea what I wanted to do after high school, so I joined the military—I filled the role of information security specialist for the Army simply because my technical scores were high.
After the physical training portion of bootcamp, the military taught me everything I needed to know about information security for the position in a six-month timeframe.
I took some higher education classes while in the military and then continued my degree at Georgia State University after being honorably discharged.
I earned my bachelor’s degree in computer information systems along with a certificate in international business, which I thought of as a backup option if a career in technology didn’t work out.
After graduating, I held various positions in information security and cyber risk, including jobs with the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta and EY.
I currently work at SunTrust as a cybersecurity assurance specialist and aspire to keep working up to higher management positions.
In addition to my day-to-day work, I also volunteer for more creative projects—planning an open house in my department, for example—to let my creative side shine!
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Certification/License
Security+
CompTIA
Security+
CompTIA
Certification/License
International Business
Georgia State University
International Business
Georgia State University
Certification/License
Certified Business Resilience IT Professional
BRCCI
Certified Business Resilience IT Professional
BRCCI
Career
Senior Cybersecurity Assurance Analyst
I work to protect the company’s information from security risk and threats.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Technology
Business
Problem Solving
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for high school students
Check out schools that offer information security programs. Explore the classes they offer and try to decide if they seem like classes you'd be interested in. Not all programs are the same—some could be heavy in coding while others are heavy in business. It's important to try to evaluate if you want to pursue more on the technical side or the business side and then look into the schools with programs that align with your interests and values.
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Society in General:
"Information security is for men and all of the women who work in the field are nerdy and awkward."
Challenges I Overcame
Socio-Economic Origin
Gender Discrimination
Financial
