Student tests his limits, discovers his future in Cybersecurity
May 31, 2023
Alexander Longoria woke up one summer morning, excited for a day with friends as he approached his senior year of high school. He was looking forward to his future as a marching band leader and was excited about pursuing music in college.
That all changed when a tragic accident at the river left him in the hospital, unable to move his body or even breathe on his own.
"I went to sleep one night having all these plans for senior year. The next day, with one choice, everything changed. Not just for me, but also my family,” said Longoria.
As he worked to redevelop physical abilities, Longoria knew he would never live the life he once imagined for himself. He needed to find a new sense of purpose, and he credits his mother for pushing him to discover a new path.
Longoria started looking into careers that are accessible to people with disabilities, and that search led him to the cybersecurity program at San Antonio College.
“I realized there’s a lot I can do,” said Longoria. “I was just floating through life. Education really centered me. I found my niche.”
Cybersecurity is an industry with growing demand and high wages. Longoria and his peers are trained to be on the front line of defense in an evolving technical landscape, defending computer operating systems, networks, and data from cyber-attacks.
"Where I'm comfortable is where I'm uncomfortable because cybersecurity is always pushing me to figure things out," said Longoria, who graduated with an Associate of Applied Science in Information Assurance and Cybersecurity in spring 2023. "I'm always trying to test my limits and keep expanding and growing. If you're stagnant, you're not going anywhere. I plan on going a lot of places."
Furthermore, Longoria found a community at the Alamo Colleges where he felt accepted and valued.
"After my accident, people always look at me different – like I'm made of glass,” said Longoria. “[The cybersecurity program] has always been very inclusive and made me feel more normal than most people do.”