Her Story
About Mikayla
Mikayla Bender is a cybersecurity professional and PhD student in Computer Science at Nova Southeastern University, holding a B.S. in Cybersecurity and bringing hands-on experience in security labs, research, healthcare data privacy, and technical problem-solving. She began working with computers at a young age, coding her first website at 10, and has continued to build her expertise by participating in an ethical hacking team and competing in cybersecurity competitions. She has experience in network security, vulnerability assessment, incident response, Linux, SQL, Python, Java, and security analysis, along with proven leadership as captain of a top-five Capture the Flag team.
Her proposed dissertation research examines the cybersecurity and governance challenges associated with preserving human consciousness or cognitive identity through artificial intelligence. The study will focus on how to protect highly sensitive digital representations of a person's memories, personality, identity, and decision-making patterns from manipulation, unauthorized access, duplication, deletion, and impersonation. Her goal is to develop a cybersecurity governance and risk-management framework for protecting persistent AI-based representations of human cognitive identity.
Professionally, Mikayla serves as a Senior Billing and Enrollment Representative at Accredo Specialty Pharmacy, where she manages sensitive patient, insurance, and prescription information, investigates billing and authorization discrepancies, performs medical coding, documents adverse events, and maintains accurate records while following privacy and regulatory requirements. Previously, she worked as an Undergraduate Research Assistant at Florida Atlantic University, supporting infant cognition research, analyzing NIRS and eye-tracking data, and developing a MATLAB data exploration and visualization project. She also served as a Medical Scribe at ScribeAmerica, documenting examinations, treatment plans, laboratory results, and clinical information in electronic medical records while maintaining accuracy and protecting confidential information in accordance with HIPAA.
Her selected academic security experience includes designing secure enterprise network configurations and segmented environments using VLANs, ACLs, NAT, and firewall policies; performing packet analysis, network troubleshooting, vulnerability scanning, and security-control assessments; and developing risk registers, Business Impact Analyses, incident response plans, and security recommendations using NIST- and CIS-aligned concepts. She has also created relational database schemas and SQL queries, applied access-control, integrity, and secure coding principles, and worked across Windows and Linux virtualized lab environments using VMware, Hyper-V, VirtualBox, and Windows Sandbox.
As a 24-year-old single mother, Mikayla balances her academic pursuits, professional responsibilities, and family life while continuing to expand her knowledge and skills. Her diverse background in cybersecurity, research, healthcare operations, and technical analysis reflects her commitment to continuous learning, leadership, and advancing in the cybersecurity field.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Mikayla
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to perseverance, discipline, and my willingness to keep moving forward even when life becomes difficult. I have learned how to balance work, school, family responsibilities, and personal challenges while continuing to pursue my goals. Rather than letting setbacks define what I am capable of, I have used them to motivate me to work harder and become more resilient. I also attribute my success to my willingness to learn, ask questions, and step outside my comfort zone. Most importantly, I have remained focused on creating a better future for myself and my daughter, which continues to give me a strong sense of purpose and determination.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I’ve ever received came from someone who told me that sometimes you have to be a little “crazy” to be successful. People have called me crazy my whole life for setting big goals, taking risks, and believing I could accomplish things that seemed unrealistic to others. That advice changed how I saw it. I realized that if you only do what feels safe, expected, or ordinary, you may never discover what you are truly capable of. Some of the most successful people are the ones willing to think differently, take chances, and pursue goals others don't understand yet. So now, when someone calls one of my goals crazy, I usually take it as a sign that I am thinking beyond what is ordinary.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice to young women entering this industry is simple: you could die tomorrow, so don’t you want to die knowing you truly lived? Take the risk, apply for the position, pursue the degree, speak up in the room, and go after the opportunities that scare you. Too many people spend their lives waiting until they feel ready, but sometimes ready never comes. I would rather try, fail, learn, and keep going than look back and wonder what could have happened if I had believed in myself. Life is too short to make yourself smaller just to fit other people’s expectations. Be ambitious, be fearless, and build a life and career that you are proud to have lived.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I think AI is both the biggest challenge and the biggest opportunity in cybersecurity right now. AI lets attackers find vulnerabilities, automate attacks, and operate faster, while cybersecurity professionals have to learn to defend systems at the same speed. At the same time, AI lets us automate repetitive security tasks, identify threats faster, and spend more time solving complex problems. In 2026, organizations are already reporting major changes to cybersecurity roles because of AI, while skills gaps remain one of the industry's biggest concerns. I think people who learn to work with AI, instead of fearing it, will have an enormous opportunity. AI probably will not eliminate the need for cybersecurity professionals, but it will change what is expected of us. The challenge is to keep developing human judgment, critical thinking, and ethical decision-making while taking advantage of everything AI can do.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values that matter most to me are integrity, perseverance, growth, and purpose. In both my work and personal life, I believe in doing the right thing even when no one is watching, continuing forward when things get difficult, and always being willing to learn and improve. I also value ambition and authenticity. I never want to live a life based only on what is expected of me or what feels safe. I want my work to mean something, challenge me, and contribute to a future I can be proud of. At the end of the day, I want my choices to reflect who I am, what I believe in, and the kind of example I want to set for my daughter.
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