{"60":"2021-07-25","61":{"first":"Lena","last":"Illig-Allen"},"62":"lena.illig@gmail.com","211":"19079475509","64":{"street":"4699 Betty St","street2":"","city":"San Diego","state":"CA","zip":"92109","country":"United States"},"191":"Other","209":"Cyber Security","66":"My name is Lena Allen and I applied for the University of San Diego for Fall 2021. I want to obtain my Masters Degree in Cyber Security. I am currently a Federal Employee, working for the Department of Defense as a Store Detective. I investigate military families who participate in theft and other dishonest acts on the military bases. I investigate these families and create legal cases against them so the federal government can prosecute them to the fullest extent.. I am hoping to be considered for this scholarship because I cannot afford tuition. I lost my job in 2020 due to COVID, and then once I was offered employment, I had to take months off of work due to my mother getting drastically ill due to COVID-19. We didn\u2019t think my mother would recover from COVID due to numerous factors. I was unemployed for 7 months in 2020 due to COVID-19. I cannot afford tuition because of the financial hardships that occurred during the pandemic. During the anxiety of the COVID pandemic - I was offered Federal Employment. I started out at an entry level position - and I was able to transfer and promote within the Department. My dream career is to work for the Federal Government, or large organizations such as Amazon, Google, Deloitte, or other private organizations where Cyber Security is needed. I graduated from the University of Alaska Anchorage with my Bachelors Degree in Justice. I also graduated with Leadership Honors. I always wanted to be in law enforcement, and conditioned myself not only physically, but mentally for the position. Over the last 10 years, I have been employed with organizations dedicated to public service, public safety, public health, non profit organizations, and other federal government agencies. I have dedicated my entire college career to wanting to be a Police Officer. To get ready for that career experience, I wanted to best prepare myself for that. I was a volunteer with the Anchorage Police Department Search Team and participated in a number of training. The training that I participated in was missing person calls, crime scene, evidence collection, DUI training, and search and rescue. I went on approximately 12 rides with the Alaska State Troopers, Anchorage Police Department and Whittier Police during my college experience. At age 16, I started volunteering at an organization called Standing Together Against Rape, and became a certified Crisis Hotline Counselor for sexual assault victims. A memory I have from working on the hotline, is when a victim called in and stated that she had been sexually assaulted by a Police Officer of the Anchorage Police Department. An investigation on Officer Anthony Rollins went immediately underway. Anthony Rollins was sentenced to 99 years in prison for sexually assaulting women. That was the initial trigger that made me want to pursue law enforcement. ","67":"The experience that cemented my interest to go into law enforcement is because as a young adult, I experienced domestic violence with a romantic partner. The experience was eye opening - and I realized that I was really passionate about working with domestic violence and sexual assault victims. My volunteering experience at Standing Together Against Rape, and Abused Women\u2019s Aid in Crisis helped shape that ordeal. I used my personal experiences to work with victims - and relate to them. At that point, I realized that after I became a Police Officer, I wanted to be promoted to a Detective for the Special Victims Unit.. While in college - I was very involved in a number of community involvement organizations that I was passionate about. I volunteered at Planned Parenthood for 7 years because I was passionate about gender equality, healthcare access, and social justice related issues that Planned Parenthood advocated for. I participated in a number of political campaigns during my experience at Planned Parenthood. I worked on Senator Lisa Murkowski\u2019s campaign last election, and she was successfully reelected. I even interviewed for Joe Biden\u2019s campaign for this last election, but couldn\u2019t make the commitment to move for the position, so I turned the job down. I was employed as an Underage Buyer for the Alcohol Beverage Control Board and participated in a number of busts under surveillance of investigators to determine whether facilities were serving minors alcohol. I would work into the late hours of the night, trying to convince bartenders and store clerks to sell me alcohol, although I was a minor. 50 percent of the time, they would serve me alcohol. The investigators would come in shortly after, and cite the individual who served me alcohol. I was involved in getting a bar shut down after their 27th liquor violation in a single year. I joined the University of Alaska Justice Club, worked as the Senator of Student Government, served on the Debate Team, was a Cadet in Army ROTC, and was the Campus Organizer for Generation Action for 3 years. I hosted numerous events on campus in regards to political outreach, and domestic violence and sexual assault advocacy. I was nominated and awarded the Martin Luther King Award, by the Title IX Investigators for my advocacy to victims on Campus. Due to my advocacy, I was also awarded the Spirit of Youth Award, and Daily Point of Light. I was also selected to become the Ambassador of the National Guard Youth Foundation - and gave a speech to over 1,000 people in Washington D.C. about why the program should be funded and how it changes thousands of teenager\u2019s lives. I met my future husband in college - he joined the Marines as a Flight Student. We moved to Pensacola, Florida. I worked at the Escambia County Sheriff\u2019s Office for two years as a Cadet\/Deputy Sheriff. As a military spouse, we move around every few years. After working as a Deputy Sheriff at the Escambia County Sheriff\u2019s Office for nearly two years - I realized that law enforcement wasn\u2019t for me. I have been fortunate to land jobs within my career path due to my education and unique job experience. ","68":"University of San Diego","69":"Attached","70":"Along with working as a Deputy, I also worked as a Disease Intervention Specialist through the Nueces County Health District in Corpus Christi, Texas. My primary job duties were to notify patients who recently tested positive for HIV and\/or syphilis, locate the patient\u2019s physical location, and conduct in person interviews to determine the source and spread. I would work with the patient to make sure that they get the proper treatment and\/or referrals. I would conduct follow up care with the patient to make sure that they are getting proper ongoing care. I have always been dedicated to public service and helping others. In 2018, I created a business called Next Level Success. I worked with students one on one to help them find and apply for scholarships and financial aid. I don\u2019t believe that enough students apply for scholarships - as there are millions of scholarships unused each year. I was able to finish college without any student loans - purely off of scholarships. I wanted to conduct a service to help other students avoid having to pull out student loans. To date, I have helped students earn thousands in dollars of scholarships. I believe that a Masters in Cyber Security n would make me highly competitive in government and private companies. Cyber Security is a highly needed career field - and will only dramatically grow over the next 20-30 years. As a military spouse - I need a career that I will be able to travel with. Since COVID - and lots of organizations working from home - Cyber Security seems like a strategic decision. I have been learning about cyber security in my current federal position - and really thrive in this environment. I want to focus on Risk Management and Threat Mitigation within the Cyber Security sector. I truly hope that you consider me for this graduate program. I think that based on my education and experience, I would be a great candidate for this program. I have over ten years experience working for the government, law enforcement, public health, and non profit organizations. If you have any questions, please don\u2019t hesitate to contact me.\r\n","72":"Lena Allen"}