(MARSHALL) – Katina Lewis feels she has scored in her career by joining the Cyber Security program at Texas State Technical College in Marshall.
“I have been bragging and telling everyone about the technical college,” said the Shreveport, La. resident. “I am bringing my nephew with me next semester so he can get in the program.”
Lewis, 44, who began teaching in late August, has already embraced the mix of older and younger students and is impressed by the college’s technology. She is part of the growing technical program, which had 27 students in Fall Semester 2015 and now has more than 60 students for Fall Semester 2016.
“Her experience as a Cisco Certified Network Professional will definitely help our offering in Marshall,” said Robert Brown, division director of Internet Technology Studies at TSTC in Marshall. “We gave her an opportunity to do a teaching test and she was extremely engaging and a natural instructor. The enthusiasm and energy she adds to the group is infectious and she has a bright future at TSTC, especially considering the prominence of the Cyber Security program.”
Lewis is building her classes throughout the semester to include recent industry information for students. She also wants to encourage students to test for Cisco Networking Academy certifications to make themselves more marketable for job hunting. Lewis is leading by example because she is also a Cisco Certified Network Associate.
Lewis grew up in the Martin Luther King Jr. neighborhood in Shreveport.
“I loved sports and wanted to be a college basketball coach or gym teacher in a high school,” she said. “I always wanted to teach something. I always enjoyed electronics, replacing car stereos and putting in ceiling fans in relatives’ homes.”
Lewis played basketball at Green Oaks High School in Shreveport in the late 1980s and accepted a basketball scholarship to Tyler Junior College in Texas.
“It was about playing basketball and having fun,” she said. “I didn’t get serious about life until I had my daughter, who is now 24. Being a single mom, I had to take care of her.”
Lewis has an Associate of Applied Science degree in Electronics Technology from Southern University at Shreveport and a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering Technology with a concentration in Electronics Engineering Technology from Grambling State University.
She is currently working on a Master of Science degree in Cyber Security online through Liberty University.
Lewis worked in various technology roles for 13 years at Southern University at Shreveport before seeking a full-time teaching position at TSTC in Marshall.
To learn about TSTC, log on to tstc.edu
