LI Mom Finalist For Award Celebrating Nontraditional Career Goal

WADING RIVER, NY — A Wading River mom is in the running for a prestigious award honoring her nontraditional career choice.

Talise Gere, who attended Suffolk County Community College, is currently one of 15 finalists for the Vanguard Student Recognition Award, which spotlights students enrolled in programs preparing them for careers nontraditional for their genders, a release said. She has been studying for a career in cybersecurity.

The Vanguard Award is presented every year by the Nontraditional Employment & Training Project, presented by SUNY Albany’s Center for Women in Government & Civil Society in partnership with the New York State Education Department.

Geer, who is married with a 6-year-old daughter, was working in sales after earning a bachelor’s degree from SUNY Old Westbury, she said. But she decided to continue pursuing new goals.

“I wanted to find a profession with job security and to do something I loved, with the opportunity for advancement," she said.

SCCC's academic staff lauded her achievements.

“Talise started with very little computer knowledge, but she fought through every challenging course, and she has continuously improved substantially with each class,” said Assistant Professor of Cybersecurity Susan Frank.

"Talise fully understands the significance of a nontraditional career,” Frank added. “And she is determined and prepared to succeed in the male-dominated field of information technology. Cybersecurity offers her a world of opportunity with a higher salary, quick career advancement, and job security."

Geer said she was thankful for her time at SCCC and for Frank and her other professors.

Next, Geer will pursue a master's degree in cybersecurity at the New York Institue of Technology, she said.

“I hope more girls, more women transition, to this field,” Geer said, adding that she hopes to inspire other women to consider nontraditional career choice. "It’s possible. I’m honored and hope that a girl or woman in a seemingly dead-end job considers cybersecurity as a future career."