Dear Foundation of Information Technology Education Regents:
I am Vicki Baugh. I was raised in August, Georgia back when women were shunned for even considering the technology field as a way of life. Constantly told women could only do woman's work I grew frustrated and soon went out on my own to discover what women could do if they put their hearts into it. I moved around from state to state and work several positions from waitress to construction worker. At the age of seventeen, I retained my GED and applied to go to college. Turned down for financing because at the age of sixteen I had earned $1000 to much to qualify, I knew I was doomed to manual labor positions. Since then I tried several times to continue my education but hit one brick wall after another. I never gave up the hope that someday I would be able to learn technology.
I was drawn to the information technology field for several years but never had the opportunity to learn. Then, after receiving a back injury in 1997, I found myself practically bed-ridden and isolated from the world. That is when I purchased my first laptop. I played around changing different settings to see what would happen. Needless to say, I wiped out my laptop on more than one occasion. Then I discovered the internet with its email and game rooms. I read peoples postings on how to reset various settings on computers and whatever information they would volunteer on the subject. That is what drove me to retrain as an MCSE. I could not find work at that time due to needing back surgery. While taking the MCSE classes I realized there were many security issues with hackers, which lead me to an AAS in Computing and Information Technology with emphasis in Computer Programming. I applied with several companies while working on my AAS and continuously told to come back when I have Bachelors.
I have just completed my AAS in Computing and Information Technology at the Community College of Southern Nevada with a 3.83 GPA and accepted into University of Nevada, Las Vegas's Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering with a Major in Computer Science. Thanks to your Betty Stevens-Frecknall Scholarship, I will be able to continue my education without any breaks. Your scholarship was enough to keep me in college until I can earn enough to pay for the following semesters. Thank you for your belief in me. My heart is overwhelmed that someone out there does care about my success.
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