Rachel Park, Suhani Bhakta and Elli King took different routes into cybersecurity, but each found the same thing: the chance to grow, contribute and succeed on their own terms.

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Cybersecurity has spent years trying to solve a persistent problem: Women remain significantly underrepresented in the field. Despite the fact that women make up roughly 51% of the population, they represent only 25% of the global cybersecurity workforce.

Recruiting efforts have helped open doors, but hiring more women is just the beginning. The bigger question is what happens next. What makes women stay in cybersecurity? What helps them find their voice, develop confidence and build lasting careers?

Those questions have guided the NetWorks Group’s (NWG) approach to hiring, culture and employee development. Director of People Operations Michelle Schuitema has played a key role in that effort.

"We want people who are curious, confident and compassionate,” she says. “You're better off taking risks on people who might not fit the picture on paper but feel like the right person.”

We want people who are curious, confident and compassionate.”   — Director of People Operations Michelle Schuitema

For Michelle, building a stronger cybersecurity workforce goes beyond representation. It's about bringing people together with different backgrounds, experiences and ways of thinking.

Those differences, she believes, help teams solve problems more effectively.

“If all of your employees are the same, you don’t grow. Your assumptions aren’t being challenged, and they need to be in order for a company to have the best possible culture and the best possible chance at success.”

Curiosity Opened Doors for Rachel

For NWG Research Director Rachel Park, a career in cybersecurity almost never happened. At least, it wasn’t the path she thought she’d take while studying biochemistry at Stanford University.

"A lot of people respond to hearing that I was trained in biochem with, ‘Wow, that's quite a change in fields.’ But I would argue that it's not,” Rachel says. “We use a lot of the same tools, a lot of the same skills, a lot of the same thinking patterns in biochem that I now use in cybersecurity."

For Rachel, both disciplines revolve around curiosity. Whether she's studying a biological system or investigating a security vulnerability, the work begins the same way: asking questions, gathering information and trying to understand how things work.

All throughout her career, Rachel found herself in situations where women were significantly outnumbered. But having to navigate male-dominated spaces was something she was already used to.

Park started playing video games online as a teenager and quickly learned that revealing her gender often changed the dynamic of an interaction.

"I noticed the minute anyone found out I was a girl I couldn't play anymore. It became all about me being a girl."

She found a workaround by using gender-neutral usernames and even experimenting with voice-modulating software. Looking back, she wishes that hadn't felt necessary.

"I absolutely don't think women should have to hide their gender in order to get a start in the field," Rachel says. "It kind of makes me sad that it was a thing at all."

When she applied to NWG, the door was already open, as Michelle had made a point to diversify and ensure women were being considered for technical roles.

“Michelle told the team, ‘You have to interview at least one woman. You don't have to hire her.’  But they did. And the rest is history,” Rachel says.

One of the most important lessons she’s learned is that being yourself matters more than fitting in. “People in general can sense when you’re comfortable and being more authentic.”

Rachel hopes other women entering the field will take this to heart: There is no right way to “hack” into a male-dominated space.

“Causing a little bit of disruptance is not the end of the world,” she says. “Just be bold. Try things. Do things. Go for it.”

Confidence Helped Suhani Find Her Voice

Like Rachel, Security Engineer Suhani Bhakta didn't take a traditional route into cybersecurity. Armed with a bachelor's degree in psychology, she worked as a pediatric behavioral therapist while simultaneously earning her master's degree in information technology.

Looking back, the signs that she belonged in tech were there all along.

“People at my clinic would come to me with computer issues,” Suhani says with a laugh. “How do you change your password? How do you fix this? We had an IT contact, but he was remote. I think I inherently had a passion for IT.”

Today, Suhani is responsible for helping secure customer environments, but credits much of her professional growth to developing confidence in her own voice and point of view.

When she first joined NWG, she was focused on learning the technology, understanding team dynamics and figuring out where she fit within a fast-moving, male-dominated field.

“When I entered the workforce, especially in cybersecurity, I saw a bunch of moving pieces — what the structure of a team looks like, what voice you have in your role,” she says.

Over time, she felt more confident in what she could contribute to the team.

“I became independent. I developed my voice, especially around what I can bring to the table. I had skills like patience before, but I learned there is a certain type of patience you need, especially in IT. Learning to stand up for myself was another big piece of the puzzle.”

For women entering cybersecurity, Suhani believes confidence comes from allowing yourself to ask questions and recognize that your contributions have value.

“Now more than ever is a great time for women to be in cybersecurity,” she says. “Even if you don’t have those years of experience yet, your voice matters and your input matters.”

Compassion Helped Elli Find Community

Ethical Hacker Elli King’s path into cybersecurity began with a love of mathematics and problem-solving. Long before she became an ethical hacker specializing in social engineering, she was the student who took extra math classes simply because she enjoyed working through difficult problems.

“My mom called me a math diva. I just found this joy in solving problems and getting to an answer and digging through. It didn't matter how long the thing took. It filled me with joy to go through this process.”

For Elli, making sure NWG was a welcoming workplace for women was an important part of the interview process.

“I asked, 'What resources are there for women?' I created my own group at my last company of close women that I worked with, and we were able to relate to each other. So, I wanted to make sure that was something I could also find here."

What she found was a company culture built around collaboration, growth and a willingness to hear different perspectives. “We are encouraged to share our opinions here because they are valid and worthy,” Elli said.

She started the company's Women in Cyber group, a monthly gathering where female employees can connect, share experiences and support one another.

The group has become more than a professional resource. It's a place to discuss career development, family life, books, TV shows and the everyday experiences that help build meaningful workplace connections.

Elli sees it as a natural extension of a philosophy she carries throughout her career. “I like lifting other women up. I think we all rise together.”

Like Rachel, she believes success starts with authenticity. She spent years feeling pressure to fit into industry expectations, only to discover her greatest strength was being her fabulous “math diva” self.

“The cybersecurity industry can feel like it was built for a certain type of person, but it did not feel authentic for me to try to fit that mold,” Elli says.

 “For better or worse, I'm going to be myself.”

A Culture Worth Staying For

Rachel followed her curiosity into cybersecurity. Suhani found her confidence once she learned to trust her voice, and Elli built community through compassion for others navigating the same path.

Their routes to NWG couldn't have been more different, but together they illustrate a simple truth: Recruiting women into cybersecurity is only the beginning. 

The real difference is creating a culture where women can grow, contribute and support one another along the way.

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Publish Date: August 6, 2026