Zinet Kemal, a 2016 Saint Paul College alum, is a Cyber Security expert who is on a mission to keep kids safe from Internet hackers. She is doing that through the power of storytelling and pictures, as she shares in a CBS Television Interview for her recent children’s book “Oh, No ... Hacked Again!: A Story About Online Safety” Recognizing that parents often provide children with technology without proper security caution, Zinet wants to help protect children from the ever-growing threat of cybercrime.

Zinet moved to Saint Paul, MN, from Ethiopia in 2013 and enrolled in the Saint Paul College Computer Programming program the same year. She received her Associate of Science degree in 2016 while raising her first two of four children. Zinet recalls constantly feeling comfortable in the diverse campus setting and sufficiently challenged in the classroom, especially in the programming classes. She also shared how her lack of background in math or programming challenged her but propelled her to study more to succeed in a completely different program on a different continent. She was grateful for online and night classes to balance her family life with her education. Zinet was also thank​ful for the opportunity to work her first US job at the Saint Paul College library, where she worked four hours a day while enrolled in school. She later received a BS from Metropolitan State University, a Cybersecurity & Privacy Law Certificate from Hamline School of Law,  and several relevant industry security certifications. She is currently enrolled in a Cyber Security master’s degree program at Georgia Institute of Technology.

Serving as an Associate Cloud Security Engineer at Best Buy, she is passionate about protecting data. She loves the work as she finds it challenging with ever-evolving new technology and security trends which keeps her always learning in this fast-paced industry. In a career field with less than 10% minority women, Zinet encourages other minorities and women to enter this growing, lucrative field and Building a More Diverse Cyber Industry. Her recommendation for protecting yourself in today’s cyber world is to go back to the basics -change your passwords often, avoid reusing passwords across apps and implement multi-factor authentication.

Learn more about Zinet Kemal and check out her books on Amazon.