Norfolk State University
March 10, 2025
First impressions are crucial when a prospective student arrives on campus to determine if this is the right place to study and launch a career. Norfolk State University alumna Cleo Brown still recalls how her first impression of the university allowed her to start a new chapter in life and excel. “I was initially headed to North Carolina A&T [State University], but on the drive down from Fort Belvoir, Virginia, I decided to make a stop to visit the NSU campus, not knowing that it would be what I would call home.”
At the time, Brown was enlisted in the U.S. Army. A native of Spanish Harlem, she enlisted in the Army at age 17 eager to chart her own path beyond the home she had always known. NSU both provided Brown with a sense of family while comfortably challenging her. Among the scholarships Brown heard were available to enlisted personnel was NSU’s Green to Gold Scholarship. The scholarship allowed its recipients to pause their full-time military service and become full-time college students to earn a bachelor’s degree. By signing a contract with a university ROTC program, those scholarship recipients were assured of receiving adequate training, guidance and a structured route of return to the military. For Brown, the first impression was nearly instantaneous. “Walking the campus, meeting the professor of Military Science and feeling so welcomed, I asked if my scholarship could be moved.”
Although the scholarship offer was set to be fulfilled at North Carolina A&T State University, Brown knew she need not look any further. “I just felt received. It felt homey, I was nervous about it [enrolling] because I had made a big jump joining the military so young. My Army scholarship transferred and my journey at NSU began that day.” Brown appreciated the staff: student ratio which allowed professors and advisors to truly guide the students.
“The ROTC program here was small so they had time to prepare us when we competed at competitions and not be intimidated. I ran for Miss ROTC and won in 1999.” Brown credits NSU for serving as a launching pad for her career in STEM. “Before cybersecurity was a thing, they helped me find my strengths. I graduated summa cum laude because I got the support I needed.” Brown earned a Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Systems from NSU. She returned to the Army in 2001 as a second lieutenant and served active duty for 22 years. During that time, she witnessed an incredible growth of opportunities for people interested in the everevolving field of cybersecurity.
Brown holds a Master of Science in Cloud Computing Architecture from the University of Maryland (2023) and a Master of Science in Information Resource Management from Central Michigan University (2008). She is a Certified Information Systems Professional (CISSP) and a Certified Information Security Manager (CISM). Today, she is the Senior Enterprise and Peraton Cloud Computing Architect/Engineer Advisor supporting Peraton’s contract with the U.S. Army Cyber Command. She advises on all Army cloud initiatives, cloud cybersecurity service provider activities, and defensive cyber operations internal defense measures.
Brown realizes there are too few minorities involved in solving the nation’s problems related to cybersecurity, so she often encourages students to consider this kind of work. “I tell them there is nothing wrong with being challenged. There are cybersecurity competitions for college students, and internships can pivot you to places where you can learn your niche in cybersecurity,” Brown said.
Although she’s often the only female or minority on the job, Brown views this as a superpower rather than something to shy away from. “It’s ok to not know the answer to every question but know where to look for the information. Some of my biggest mentors don’t look like me and happen to be male.” “Ask questions of your advisors. NSU was the best decision I made, and I learned here it’s ok to ask more questions.”
When asked how one determines whether cybersecurity is for them, Brown responded:
“The cool thing about cybersecurity is that there’s a level of it in everything you do. The misnomer is that you have to know programming languages and sit in front of a computer.”
She explained that the field has diverse opportunities. “Not every job in this field will mean you have to work indoors all day hunched over a computer in one location. If you have a passion for this type of work, you enjoy change, you have the ability to pivot, you love learning new things, and you have the ability to be uncomfortable with not finding easy answers and quick solutions, this might be for you.”
