My name is Isabella Ficher, and I’m currently a student at Old Colony Regional Vocation Technical High School. I’ve always been interested in coding, which led me to join the Computer Science program. Ever since I started learning about code, I’ve enjoyed the computer science field. One of the things I like most about Computer Science is the CyberSecurity courses. So far in high school, I’ve had the chance to learn Linux.

During my time in Computer Science class, I’ve learned to work with Java, Python, Javascript, Linux, and HTML5. Some of my favorite projects include “Apocalypse of Red War Zombies” and “My Dream Vacation” Website, where I used HTML5 to make the structure of the websites and I used Javascript in Apocalypse of Red War Zombies to control the interactive story aspect of the website. Through these assignments, I’ve developed skills in critical thinking, problem solving, and time management. Working on my favorite projects taught me how to be creative with my programming. I’ve also learned the importance of debugging and persistence while coding.

After high school, I plan to attend college to study CyberSecurity. I’m interested in pursuing a degree for it because I like finding where computers have vulnerabilities. The college I am most interested in is Bridgewater State University, since it offers softball and has a nice Cyber Range. I also got to check out the campus at Bridgewater State University when my school went on a field trip there. I hope to continue improving my skills. My long-term goal is to have a career in cybersecurity.

In the future, I’d like to work as a red team operator. A red team operator is a cybersecurity professional who stimulates real-world, adversarial attacks against an organization to test its defenses. I’m drawn to that career because I can help companies find their vulnerabilities and fix them so hackers cannot get in. I want to maintain a company’s security because if it gets hacked, millions of people could possibly be in jeopardy. My dream job would let me find how hackers are able to get into laptops and find vulnerabilities in computers. I believe the skills I’m learning now will help me navigate software like Linux.

Outside of computer science, I enjoy softball, basketball, and soccer. Out of all of the sports I play, softball is my favorite because I have intense passion for it. It is also the first sport I played in high school. I hope to play softball in college. Soccer and basketball are still very fun to play because I love to exercise and hang out with people. I am also a member of the National Honor Society. In my free time, you can usually find me shopping, at the track or the gym. I think my hobbies, like video games and crochet, help me solve problems. They both teach me to have patience because it is necessary in order to complete them. Crocheting needs to be done slowly, so the stitches are all of the same size and no holes are present. Video games need patience in order to not get mad at them. When I’m not coding, I like to be outside and explore the world.