By: Shelby Hobbs
Thursday, November 4, 2015

When it comes to educating others about technology Alexandra Hidalgo doesn’t hold back. She is a smart, committed student at Florida State University preparing for graduation in December 2015. Alex is studying Information Technology and already has a position lined up with State Farm after she graduates. Many of her courses have focused on her passion, information security. Alex is also highly involved with many on campus student organizations. She is a member of Women in IT & ICT Sharing Experiences (WISE), the Association of Information Technology Professionals, and Community Outreach Group (COG). She has also been a part of FSU’s Center of Academic Retention and Enhancement (CARE) program since her freshman year. In the summer of 2015, Alex decided to join the Florida IT Career Alliance as a Student Ambassador. She explained how she wanted to become more involved with the school “and help with activities that are beneficial to not only FSU students but to K-12 students.” As an Ambassador she has the chance to show those students “the opportunities there are in technology sciences,” she stated.

So far with FITC, Alex has been involved with numerous events helping to recruit younger students in grade school and retain current FSU students. She helped with the FITC/College of Communication and Information (CCI) Professional Headshot event that allowed all FSU students to get a professional headshot for free. She also helped at the CCI Club Day to encourage others to get involved on campus. Her recruitment efforts have been phenomenal. Alex works will with younger students and has been a true asset with the FITC Google CS First sessions. As a Google “Guru,” she has been helping students learn more about animation and game design. Alex is a great Ambassador because of her mastery of the material and ability to engage students. When asked why she believes technology education is important she replied, “technology is a necessity and will continue to grow and change; it needs professionals at all levels.” Of course she followed up her answer with “especially in the information security discipline.”

Alex’s true passion is in information security. She was recently hired by State Farm to work in the security analytics section of the company. With State Farm, she will be defending the company’s data from outside and inside threats. She explained how she wants “to make it easier to secure data without being an expert.” Alex is interested in pursuing a career that will allow her to “work with a practical but ideological sentiment on cyber security.” As for the rest of the semester, Alex looks forward to building more memories with FITC.

To learn more about Alex, connect with her on LinkedIn or follow her on Twitter.

FITC Student Ambassadors make up a team of dedicated and knowledgeable students both at FSU and FAMU. These students travel across the Florida Panhandle to promote information technology, computer science, and computer engineering to high schools. Ambassadors are responsible for activities such as running coding camps, assisting in technology clubs, or hosting college tours. For more information on FITC Ambassadors, visit the Ambassador page.

The Florida IT Career Alliance is an initiative funded by the Florida Board of Governors which aims to recruit, retain, and employ Florida's next generation technology workforce. FITC promotes information technology, computer science, and computer engineering to local high schools and college students across Florida. Connect with FITC on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.