Bella Heckathorn

My name is Bella Heckathorn, and I plan to work in the fields of Computer Science, Cybersecurity, and I hope to fulfill my dream of getting a master's degree in Unmanned Systems. My father was in the Navy for many years and he has worked on many airplanes and that interested me a lot growing up. He is still working alongside the military. My mother is in the field of cybersecurity and computer science. She also works alongside the military and government. I know that the work my parents do is super important when it comes to maintaining the safety of many United States citizens. My parents are my biggest inspirations and I wish to help out our country the way they do.

I am currently a student at Jacksonville University. Originally, I applied to be in the game design program since there were classes that I was interested in, but I am working on switching to double major in cybersecurity and computer science since they had similar courses and were tailored for what I wanted to do. In 2023, I graduated from Leonardtown High School. Here, I took a course for the "Fundamentals of Computer Science" I also graduated from the engineering program at the James A. Forrest Career and Technology Center (JFCTC). Engineering has always been a passion of mine, and it led me to realize that engineering makes me happy. In this class,  I had many opportunities to work with different programs such as SolidWorks and AutoCAD and slightly get into coding by using Python to control Tello drones. During 2022 and 2023, my partner and I represented JFCTC in the SkillsUSA sUAS Drone Competition where we won the title of Maryland State Champions both years! It was an honor to represent the state of Maryland in Atlanta in the national competition where we placed in the top 10 both times. I am very grateful for my high school experiences, and I would love to get some internships and gain experience during my college years. 

I hope to eventually live this dream because I want to make a difference, even if it is a small one. I recognize that as time goes on, the need for people who work in the fields of computer science and cybersecurity is growing more and more, and I want to be one of the people that these companies can rely on.