Alumni Spotlight: Nikolas Dutra and Christina McCurdy

It seems just like yesterday that we were first introducing our scholarship recipients for our Fall 2022 Cohort—and now, they’ve wrapped up their experiences in our Cyber Defense Analyst Bootcamp. 🥹

Nikolas (Niko) Dutra is our VetSec Scholarship recipient, and Christina McCurdy is our Open Doors Scholarship recipient for our Fall 2022 cohort, which just wrapped up.

I was stoked to catch up with Niko and Christina to see how these past 15 weeks have been for them—and to relive my own experiences in the bootcamp. :)

Niko Dutra’s Update

Watch the video below to hear Niko answer these four questions we asked him about his experience:

1. What was your favorite week from the bootcamp, and why?
2. You’d mentioned you chose Level Effect because of the hands-on component. What was that like?
3. What’s next for you in your cyber journey?
4. Do you have any advice to impart to future students of the CDA Bootcamp?

Christina McCurdy’s Update

1. You made it to the finish line! Overall, how was your experience in the CDA Bootcamp?

I really enjoyed the CDA Bootcamp and met some amazing new friends during the course. I have learned a lot and am so grateful to have had this opportunity. 

2. What was your favorite week from the bootcamp, and why?

I think my most favorite week was in the middle of the course. Mostly because I finally gained some momentum and was beginning to understand what was going on. My most favorite week was probably the Linux OS week. I really enjoyed learning that and would like to learn more of the Linux language.

3. Do you have any advice to impart to future students of the CDA Bootcamp?

My advice for future students would be to just take a deep breath and just soak it all in. Don't beat yourself up if at first you don't understand everything, because before you know it you will be right there raising your hand and answering questions and asking questions. You will even find what areas you like and other areas that you may not be so crazy about but worth knowing. 

4. What's next for you?

I am continuing my bachelor’s degree journey at UCCS (University of Colorado at Colorado Springs) and am looking into getting my Sec+, CEH, SSCP and Certified in Cybersecurity certifications. I am also working on sharpening my reporting skills, and will be putting to use everything I learned here in the CDA Bootcamp and the CDCP exam.