From Scratch to Cybersecurity: Lavanya Sharma’s USC Journey

This is an as-told-to essay based on a conversation with Lavanya Sharma (B.S. Computer Science and Business Administration 2025, minors in Cybersecurity and Technology Law), a 2024 National Cyber Scholar, AthenaHacks team lead, vice chair of Women in Engineering, and the School of Advanced Computing’s 2025 commencement flag-bearer.

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I’ve always loved learning: history, math, dance, physics, you name it! Although I grew up playing video games and constantly tinkering on my family’s desktop, computer science courses were few and far-between, and I had to do some digging on my own.

My parents always encouraged my sister and me to try new things. My mom would say, “Keep an open mind. Try everything at least once!” One day in 5^th grade, my dad — truly the ultimate “girl dad” — spotted a flyer for an after-school coding camp and said, “Let’s do this workshop together!”

That’s how I discovered Scratch, a block-based coding language. I didn’t understand the big picture, but I was fascinated by how simple logic could prompt actions in my program. In middle school, I joined a robotics studio twice a week, and coded video games through their Game Development Program. I couldn’t wait to show them to my friends after class.

Advocating for myself in computer science

Years later, I took AP Computer Science as a sophomore— a class typically reserved for seniors as an elective. When I pointed out an issue in our project file, someone in my project group called me “Miss ‘Know-It-All’.”

I wasn’t alone. A neighbor who had been the “only girl physicist” in her class in the 1960s told me about her similar experiences and encouraged me to join the Society of Women Engineers. Stories like hers still stick with me today.

Soon after, in high school, I co-founded Southern California’s first all-female high school hackathon, AIHacks, hosted at the USC Institute of Creative Technologies.

We designed it as an inclusive skill-building space, offering introductory workshops like Python and HTML/CSS, and featuring from USC AI researchers. We were supported by organizations like Hack Club, Stanford’s AI4ALL program, and the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) AspireIT program.

So, when I committed to USC Viterbi, it felt like a full-circle moment.

I chose Computer Science & Business Administration at USC; a major that let me explore both programming and entrepreneurial skills like finance and marketing. That flexibility shaped who I am as a student and gave me the confidence to pursue interdisciplinary opportunities.

One of the first clubs I joined was AthenaHacks, Southern California’s premier collegiate hackathon dedicated to supporting students of marginalized gender identities in technology.

When I joined the leadership team, I helped revise our tagline to be more inclusive—shifting from a list of identities, which I felt could be exclusionary, to the more encompassing: “people of marginalized genders.” It was a seemingly small shift in language, but it meant a lot to fellow peers and future attendees.

After our 2024 event, AthenaHacks was featured in Yahoo as a “hackathon driving change”.

Later, I joined the Women in Engineering leadership board, where I led activities like professional events, K-12 outreach, and mentorship. I especially loved working with elementary school kids, showing them that engineering could be creative and fun – I loved being a role model and showing younger students that even people like me could be engineers!

Exploring different fields

I was a curious kid who became a curious adult. At USC, I declared minors in cybersecurity and technology law—two unexpected side quests that have truly made me a more intersectional and interdisciplinary engineer.

My interest in cybersecurity began in high school with CyberPatriot, a national youth cyber education program, which was my first exposure to the field. Then, in my freshman year at USC, I took a chance on “From Hackers to CEOs: Introduction to Information Security.”

Immediately, I was hooked.

I would go on to learn about web applications, digital forensics, ethical hacking, and even privacy law. I loved how law didn’t require a single “correct” answer. Engineering solutions are binary – yes or no, 0 or 1. Law offered more flexibility — and I fell in love with that idea.

I had never considered law school or legal studies before taking that class, but that semester, the Gould School of Law started offering a brand-new minor in law and technology. Looking back, I was probably one of the first people to sign up for it!

I had the opportunity to take courses in intellectual property law, cybercrime investigations, and even artificial intelligence ethics! I discovered a whole new world I didn’t even know existed.

Around the same time, I joined CybOrg, a cybersecurity and forensics group, and served as the VP of Industry Relations, inviting professionals and alumni for technical workshops and career seminars. I also competed in CFTs, or “capture-the-flag competitions,” like the Western Regional Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (WRCCDC) and the National Cyber League. In 2024, I received the FS-ISAC Women in Cyber Scholarship and was named a National Cyber Scholar,

Painting my vision for the future

At my core, I’m someone who aims to create spaces where everyone feels empowered to build and innovate. I want to help create technology that is not only cutting-edge but also inclusive, secure, and ethical.

After graduation, I’ll be joining F5 Networks as a software engineer. I’m proud of what I’ve built—and excited to keep advocating for technologies that work for everyone.

I believe all engineers have a sense of pride and accomplishment of the things they build. We become engineers to change the world. I want to be there, every step of the way, and put my best foot forward.

Published on May 13th, 2025

Last updated on May 14th, 2025