I had the pleasure of meeting Ayan through the Share the Mic in Cyber campaign. Talking to her was an absolute blast and super humbling (a rare combination!), she's accomplished so much and still manages to get some sleep. Below are the tweets that we shared through my Twitter account. I wanted to collect them here cause it'd be a horrible shame if they just got lost in the timeline.
1/ Follow this thread as we highlight @ayanmislam as part of the #ShareTheMicInCyber campaign. I am proud to give this talented #cybersecurity practitioner the spotlight. #BlackNatSec #BlackTechTwitter https://sharethemicincyber.splashthat.com/
2/ Meet @ayanmislam, an incredibly talented cyber/infosec practitioner you should all know! A Somali native, who grew up in Kuwait and immigrated to the U.S. in pursuit of stability and the American Dream.
3/ As an avid learner, she certainly leverages her education to benefit every community she participates in. She has a @KogodBiz business degree, @GonzagaLead masters in communication and leadership, @UDCLaw degree, and a @LawGovAUWCL LLM w/ natsec law & policy specialization
4/ Currently she is a cybersecurity strategist at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency/@CISAgov and is currently supporting @CISAgov and interagency efforts in the federal response to COVID-19. https://twitter.com/CISAgov/status/1372266716730957826?s=20
5/ Previously she supported the Aviation Cyber Initiative and special interagency coordination projects to further cybersecurity resiliency and public-private partnership in the critical infrastructure sector.
6/ In speaking with @ayanmislam, I learned about her fascinating, non-traditional path into cybersecurity. It is the story of an avid learner and a mid-career change into the field of national security and cybersecurity. #BlackNatSec #BlackVoices
7/ @ayanmislam began her career as a D.C. gov public affairs & legislative affairs specialist in the juvenile justice and education sector. She also worked in the Mayor’s Office of Communications supporting social media/website management, speech writing, and event planning.
8/ Her interest in cyber/infosec began in 2013. @ayanmislam noticed an uptick in customer data breaches in the retail, financial, and IT sectors; and incidents involving adversaries. But an untold theme among the tech issues raised were the indirect impacts to communities of color.
9/ However, before jumping in to help make a difference, @ayanmislam recognized that pivoting mid-career into cyber/infosec without a traditional computer science background would be a challenge.
10/ No comp-sci degree, no certs, no keyboarding experience… but she knew she had “a very particular set of skills” that the cyber policy field needed. (liam_neeson.gif)
11/ Regardless of perceived obstacles, @ayanmislam left a steady “good ol’ government” job to wrap up night law school (yes, she had been working and studying at the same time until then!), study for the bar exam, and committed herself to breaking into cyber. #NeverSleep #HustleHard
12/ This is where the story gets really interesting! While her friends called her insane for going back to law school again, she took advantage of the time to study and immerse in infosec, and participate in the @AtlanticCouncil’s @CyberStatecraft Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge.
13/ The opportunity led to a @CyberStatecraft summer internship with a crash course into the world of international and national cybersecurity policy, along with an introduction to @iamthecavalry, the security researcher, and legislative communities.
14/ It also gave her the opportunity to support DC to DEF CON, where @iamthecavalry & @CyberStatecraft brought 2 congressional representatives - @JimLangevin @HurdOnTheHill, and 15 congressional staffers to 2017 DEF CON (aka DEF CON 25). https://twitter.com/ayanmislam/status/891809706859126785?s=20
15/ A key cybersecurity immersive experience, which @ayanmislam highly recommends, is the annual Hacker Summer Camp in Las Vegas, NV. The week-long camp encompasses several cybersecurity conferences & roundtable sessions, such as @BSidesLV @BlackHatEvents @defcon @DianaInitiative & more.
16/ She also recommends The Lost Policymaker’s Guide to Hacker Summer Camp. https://lostpolicymaker.org/ @ayanmislam contributed to this vital guide for policy experts/decision makers interested in engaging with the hacker community and leveraging their expertise on policy proposals.
17/ Getting back to @ayanmislam’s unorthodox path into cybersecurity, she was informed about the first U.S. Department of Homeland Security @DHSgov job fair hosted by Rep. @BennieGThompson at the 2017 Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Forum.
18/ At the event, she met an NPPD hiring manager (@CISAgov’s predecessor) and her journey has continued to progress onward and upward while she has been with the agency these past 3 years.
19/ @ayanmislam’s many accomplishments were acknowledged last year when she received the CISA Cybersecurity Division 2020 Q2 Emerging Leader award and by @cyberdefensemag in its 2020 Top 100 Women in Cybersecurity list. https://twitter.com/CISAgov/status/1291816002552987649?s=20
20/ To hear her story, other aspects of @ayanmislam’s career path, and initial career tips and resources to consider, you can listen at Lessons from the School of Cyber Hard Knocks podcast https://open.spotify.com/episode/5ATwhJ2bW25lvOglCdLtpW
21/ Most importantly, I wonder if @ayanmislam ever sleeps. She is adamant that she needs her 7-8 hours but it was impressive to hear her time management skills and ability to balance work, education, and community service.
22/ In her spare time, @ayanmislam is volunteer co-chair of @WCAPSnet Cybersecurity and Emerging Technologies Working Group, a member of @iamthecavalry, and participates in speaking engagements, such as the CISA 3rd Annual National Cybersecurity Summit: https://www.cisa.gov/publication/cybersummit-session-day-3-coming-together
23/ If you want to get in touch with or to learn more about the work of @ayanmislam, reach out to her on Twitter or LinkedIn. #ShareTheMicInCyber
24/ Do you have a Black colleague in cyber/national security whose work you would like to showcase? Join the #ShareTheMicInCyber campaign happening today and lift up #BlackVoices.
25/ I enjoyed the opportunity to participate in #ShareTheMicInCyber and highly encourage the amplification of women of color practitioners in national security. Racism, like cybersecurity, is a national security and foreign policy issue. Let’s stand up against systemic racism.
26/ Also, I appreciated the chance to meet @ayanmislam! Great conversations and learned a fun fact – apparently there’s a luxury line of watches with dinosaur fossils, including one expensive dinosaur dung watch: https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna35878257 One of the many fun facts and information learned while conversing with her.