August 24, 2022
Each month, we are honoured to showcase outstanding students that have shown exceptional talent in our Get Into IT program!
Our first student of the month for August is Summer-Lee Burns, a participant in the cybersecurity cohort. Summer-Lee brings a wide range of experience in the field of tech, bringing to the table a Library and Information Technology Degree from NSCC as well as Certificate in Adult Education in the Workplace from St. Francis Xavier University. She has also been putting this education into practice through her experience working in libraries across diverse areas; from Public, to University, to Medical.
After working in libraries and healthcare, Summer-Lee felt it was time for a change – leaving her previous line of work to begin a new chapter in IT, which she had been interested in pursuing for years. Seeing the ad for Get Into IT, Summer knew this was the perfect opportunity to gain free access to industry professionals and education, it was an opportunity she couldn’t pass up!
“I love the idea of assisting others in protecting their data, either boots on the ground, auditing, or through implementation of best-practice or assisting with the implementation of regulations. I have seen how lives could be severely inconvenienced with data theft and want to help to prevent that as much as I am able.” – Summer-Lee Burns
Through the program, she’s loved interacting with her TA through weekly virtual meetings, and truly getting to learn and grow alongside her classmates. A standout course for Summer-Lee has been learning about compliance and frameworks, and though she isn’t quite sure what exactly is in store for her next in her career, she hopes that this course will help her enter the industry and the newfound work experiences will aid in determining her dream role. In the meantime she’ll continue fostering her hobbies, enjoying the outdoors growing produce, playing with her dogs, and off-roading with her 4-wheeler!
Congratulations to Summer-Lee for being our Student of the Month in Cybersecurity!
Next up is our second Student of the Month, Akintunde Abimbola! Joining us in the IT Support cohort, Akintunde is excited to be taking the first steps into the industry and prove that he is able to cultivate newfound skills of problem solving, negotiation, and leadership.
During his time with Get Into IT, Akintunde feels that his eyes have been opened to the world of IT and is astonished to have broken glass ceilings that he hadn’t known were there to begin with. Along with the course material, he has learned that the world of technology can be an inclusive space and that succeeding simply takes practice, patience, and faith.
“I believe life is more beautiful when we look out for the best in people and situations” – Akintunde Abimbola
It’s no wonder that Networking has been Akintunde’s favourite course, as his optimism and strong drive are key traits to pushstart a supportive and loyal network that’s essential in the tech community. Akintunde also noted that he is grateful to have entered the industry with the IT Support growth, as it can act as a great gateway to IT while serving as a launch pad to grow into more advanced aspects of the field when he chooses to take the next steps into his dream job of an IT Product Manager!
A round of applause for Akintunde for being our IT Support Student of the Month!
Best of luck to our phenomenal Get Into IT participants as they continue their adventures in the tech sector!
To connect with Summer by email at summerlee.burns@gmail.com and to connect with Akintunde contact him at akinzogee@gmail.com