Courtney Ingram Transforms Career Through 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 Cybersecurity Program
After more than a decade in bookkeeping and years of stop-and-start college courses, Courtney Ingram took a leap of faith that has led her to become one of the first graduates of 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 cybersecurity program and to a promotion in a fast-growing tech field she never imagined herself in.
When Ingram sat at her desk as a bookkeeper, a quote written on the whiteboard stared back at her: 鈥淒oors are opening. The wait wasn鈥檛 punishment. It was preparation.鈥�
It was a silent challenge that lingered for years until Ingram decided to change her life. On May 17, she joined 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 Class of 2025 as one of the first graduates of the university鈥檚 Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity program.
鈥淚 never thought I would be in the category of being one of the first to do what I鈥檓 doing,鈥� Ingram said. 鈥淭he journey that I took to get here is something I鈥檒l never take for granted. I put myself in a very uncomfortable position for four years, but I made it.鈥�
Ingram, a North Little Rock native who now lives in Little Rock, began her college journey in 2004 and spent years navigating school, work, and motherhood. She took classes intermittently at UCA, 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, and Pulaski Tech, once pursuing nursing, and earned an associate degree in biology in 2017. For a while, she stopped taking classes entirely, but she continued to dream of a more challenging and fulfilling career.
鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 content with just working in the position I was in,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 decided to take control of my life and where I wanted to be career-wise.鈥�
That decision led her to a 2021 newspaper article in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, announcing that 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock would launch a new degree in cybersecurity, and the rest is history.
鈥淏y then, I鈥檇 worked in finance for 10 years,鈥� Ingram said. 鈥淚 wanted a change, and the cybersecurity program seemed like the right path. I enrolled in 2021 and never looked back.鈥�
She brought with her 24 hours of previous college credit and juggled 12 to 16 credit hours per semester while working full time. Her perseverance paid off. Just a few weeks before graduation, she began a new job as an information security analyst associate at Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield, where she now monitors network traffic and security alerts for threats or suspicious activity, as well as procedure development.
鈥淚t鈥檚 amazing,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檒l be front and center at graduation. It鈥檚 a major accomplishment. It was a lot of work, but it was also really interesting. I would do it all over again.鈥�
Ingram credits her success to the strong support system within 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 cybersecurity program.
鈥淢y professors were awesome,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey made themselves available on weekends, answered questions, and helped us work through problems. Mr. William Cox, Dr. Philip Huff, and Mrs. Rebecca Passmore were my favorites.鈥�
One class stands out in particular: Digital Forensics with Passmore. The final project tasked students with solving a mock murder case using forensic techniques like email and text message analysis.
鈥淚t didn鈥檛 feel like work,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t was so fun. That鈥檚 when I really realized, 鈥榊eah, this is what I want to do.鈥欌��
The transformation she experienced through the program wasn鈥檛 just professional but personal.
鈥淭his program sharpened me. It made me more organized and gave me something to strive for,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檝e changed since I started. I鈥檝e become more confident, and it鈥檚 helped my mental health. If I can do this, I鈥檓 ready for what鈥檚 next.鈥�
She even found time to get married in 2022 during the program, another joyful twist in what she describes as her 鈥渢wisty鈥� path to success.
鈥淪omeone at a Women in Tech meeting recently talked about how not all career paths are straight lines. I had a twisty,鈥� she said. 鈥淎 lot of professionals in cybersecurity didn鈥檛 have a straight path either, and it鈥檚 encouraging to hear those stories. My path took time, pivots, and a whole lot of faith. I鈥檝e worked hard, asked questions even when I was scared, and pushed through the imposter syndrome that crept in more than once. If you have a dream, stick with it. A dream is just a thought until it comes true.鈥�