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Immediately after earning her master’s degree in cybersecurity from �������� this past summer, Consuelo (Connie) Bustinza, MS ’25 started working as a project management training specialist in information technology department, where she is helping to lead the phased implementation of the TeamDynamix (TDX) project management platform. 

It was a full circle moment for Connie, who enrolled as an English as a Second Language (ESL) student at after moving to the United States from Peru. She went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in international political economy from and a master’s in global health sciences from the .

With a wide-ranging background, Connie embarked on a career as a client relationship consultant in the banking industry. It was a time of rapid technological advances in the industry, and Connie quickly recognized the need for improved security.

“I witnessed how elderly customers could easily fall victim to cybercrime,” she recalls. “Unfortunately, branch-level staff had limited tools—cases were referred to 1-800 numbers for fraud and cybersecurity, often leaving seniors feeling helpless.” 

She led fraud prevention efforts for her employer, including holding community classes focused on fraud and security and collaborating with internal teams to support client needs and improve service security.

The work reignited an interest in technology that Connie had first developed as a teenager in Peru. In her free time, while balancing work and motherhood, Connie taught herself Java and other programming languages to enhance her own work at the bank. 

Recognizing the need for early exposure to technology, especially among underrepresented youth, Connie founded an after-school program focused on tech education for middle school students. Operating at several middle schools in Marin, her programs offered hands-on lessons in coding, robotics, and digital literacy, inspiring younger students to further develop their skills in technology.

The work also inspired Connie to pursue an advanced degree in technology.

After exploring various options, Connie discovered the MS cybersecurity program offered by ��������’s Barowsky School of Business (BSB). It was the perfect bridge between her early interest in technology and her mission to safeguard communities. Immersed in a diverse cohort and guided by faculty with real-world expertise, she thrived.

Learn More About MS in Cybersecurity

At a cybersecurity summit hosted by a fellow student, Connie met industry and community college leaders and learned about growing interest among community colleges for cybersecurity certification programs. Inspired, she reached out to the IT director at College of Marin. What began as an informational meeting led to Connie joining department meetings and eventually being offered her current role on TDX implementation.

“I am now helping lead the digital shift at the same institution where I once learned my first words in English,” she says.

Connie’s longer-term goal is to create a community college-based curriculum that combines technical training, mentorship, and certification readiness. The program will focus on foundational courses in cybersecurity; coding and networking; industry certification pathways; peer mentorship, and speaker series featuring women leaders in tech, particularly women of color. 

“Representation matters,” she says. “When women of color see someone who looks like them in cybersecurity, in coding, in leadership—they believe they can belong too. I want to help open that door.”

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