For Women’s History Month, we held a Q&A with Becky Selzer, Senior Manager of Aviation Cybersecurity and Cybersecurity Awareness at United Airlines. In this interview, we talked with Becky about how her interest in STEM lead her to where she is today.
Interviewer: Tell us a bit about the company you work for
Selzer: United Airlines is a major U.S. airline that helps unite people and connect the world by flying our customers and cargo around the globe.
Interviewer: When did you first become interested in STEM? And what made you stay?
Selzer: I’ve been interested in STEM for a very long time. I recall a field trip to my local area planetarium in elementary school at the Earth Space and Science Lab in Frederick, MD. I was fascinated by physics, astronomy, and geology and always loved math – and I loved their hands-on demonstrations and experiences around STEM. I had some very supportive teachers along my way – during an “explorer” presentation in elementary school, my teacher assigned me, Marie Curie. High school teachers invited me to Ada Lovelace day. I was very fortunate to be given lots of opportunities to discover the wonderful world of STEM and explore and be curious. I stayed because I love solving challenging problems and, I have always found a fair share of those in my STEM/STEAM career and hobbies. And as an additional bonus, STEM has provided me with financial independence.
Interviewer: What is it like being in a male-dominated field?
Selzer: I’m spoiled at United to be in a group that has a very high percentage of female leaders so, I almost forget that my broader field is more male-dominated. I’ve been fortunate to have a support network of people from many different backgrounds and gender identities throughout my career. It was challenging in the early stages of my career when I didn’t know as many people and felt like an outsider who didn’t belong, but I stopped caring so much about what people thought which, freed me to explore many different facets of my chosen field. I’m much more secure in my identity as a cybersecurity professional and try to do my best to make others feel welcome as well, in the same way, that people in my past did.
Interviewer: What are some cool things that people in your profession work on?
Selzer: Cybersecurity is a really broad area and, I’ve gotten to touch elements of most of the field in my career. I love my role in the Aviation/Product Cybersecurity world because I get to analyze and protect the digital systems that are on or support our aircraft and work with our talented aerospace engineers. I enjoy working in cybersecurity incident response and intelligence – it’s fascinating to study and respond to cyber attackers to help better protect the people and data you support.
Interviewer: How can we have more women involved in STEM and have them as role models?
Selzer: We have to focus on making STEM a welcoming place – I’m fortunate that I’ve not been as phased by being the odd person out but, it can be very uncomfortable to be the first or the only in any room. I have found value in groups that boost self-esteem and give real data and perspective around perseverance in STEM and the opportunities it can provide.
Interviewer: How important do you feel having access to hands-on learning in technology is?
Selzer: I have found over the years that I learn best by play and practice. Meaning the more I made it a game or a fun experience, the more I have learned. I also volunteer with the teen programs at Adler Planetarium in Chicago. I have found that incorporating science techniques into projects that allow students to experience the principles is more engaging than just reading about it in a book.
Interviewer: What is the best piece of advice for someone thinking about going into STEM?
Selzer: Keep going. Find out what your values are and figure out an area of STEM where you can live those values. If things get rough, persevere and you’ll more than likely look back on that as a giant time of growth from the other side. All those adults/experts you thought had it together were making it up as they went along too. And last but not least, have fun! STEM has so many opportunities to explore!
