Liberal Arts Student Finds Joy in Phishing, Fitness and Panhellenic Life

Kristen DeFlorio, cybersecurity studies and computer science major from Thornwood, NY, gets into the minds of scammers to minimize threats and protect the public.

Inspired by her father’s work as a police officer, Kristen has always been interested in security. She took a few computer science courses in high school, and her love of computers and coding coupled with sound advice from her older brother, a cybersecurity major, led her to the Bluff.

“I chose Duquesne because I wanted a change. I knew I wanted to be in a city, but I also wanted a campus feel,” said Kristen. “Duquesne was scenic and felt like a park.”

A horizon-expanding education

In addition to a campus that feels like home, Kristen enjoys her coursework and appreciates faculty who trust in her potential and make their classrooms exciting places to learn.

“They don’t feel like classes; they’re just fun to go to,” she said. “So much of it is hands-on and we do a lot of simulated lab environments—essentially real-world stuff in a classroom setting.”

In addition to lab work, Kristen enjoyed an artificial intelligence (AI) ethics class where students examined not just potential harms of AI, but the many ways AI can be helpful. 

“In the past, a lot of time was spent on debugging, but AI can cut that time,” said Kristen. "Now, computer programmers can spend less time debugging and more time on other projects.”

Real-world experience 

An internship at Central Hudson, a utility company in Poughkeepsie, NY, allowed Kristen to shadow the governance, risk and compliance team. She assessed cybersecurity risks, developed risk scores to help with mediation and supported third-party risk management. That summer internship led to a second internship with Central Hudson’s security operations team.

“They get us involved,” she said. “I’m sitting in actual meetings and calls, triaging tickets and looking at phishing emails.”

Kristen even had the opportunity to run a phishing campaign alongside a full-time employee, work she was prepared to conduct thanks to the instruction she received at Duquesne. 

“We sent out fake emails telling people to click a link to see if they would,” she said. “I designed the template, sent them and trained the service desk on how to handle calls that came in about it.”

Exploring interests 

Kristen also completed an internship with CHAARG (Changing Health Attitudes + Actions to Recreate Girls), a national fitness and wellness group with a Duquesne chapter. Already a member of CHAARG, Kristen expanded her role through the internship with the national organization. There, she assisted with recruitment, email communications and more.

“Because of the club on Duquesne’s campus, I was able to get involved and realize that I like communicating with people in that sense,” she said. “I think it ties into what I’m doing with my current work with emails and security operations.”

Kristen’s campus involvement reaches even further than CHAARG. She’s also president of the Computer Science Club and involved in Duquesne Panhellenic Council where she assists with sorority recruitment. 

“It’s easy to get involved at Duquesne, no matter what you do,” she said. “Club experiences can help get you internships or even jobs. Without CHAARG or my sorority, I wouldn’t have gotten that internship or had the interview skills and knowledge I have.”

Prepared for anything

Kristen is pursuing a professional path with purpose and looks forward to her future as a cybersecurity analyst who can help organizations thwart phishing campaigns and protect sensitive information. 

In the meantime, she appreciates the opportunity to learn alongside classmates, and she soaks in the support she receives from McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts faculty and staff who always take the time to mentor her. 

“Anything I need, I go in the Liberal Arts office and they guide me,” she said. “They prepare me for interviews, and when I got my internship, they were some of the first people I told. I know I always have faculty to go to—they’re always telling me I can do it.”