I'm Deyanna Gladney — a cybersecurity student at Kennesaw State University studying the Cyber Crime Track with a Minor in Technical Communication, graduating in 2027. I'm also an NSF-funded undergraduate researcher, in my research I'm able to blend STEM, education, and community in ways that actually feel meaningful. My professional home is in Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC), and technical writing — I call myself a "people-first technologist" because I genuinely believe good security starts with understanding people.
Outside of school, I'm active in the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) and Women in Cybersecurity (WiCys). I also founded L.I.M.I.T.L.E.S.S. at 17 — a K–12 literacy social business — which I'm now evolving into LitUp, an AI-powered literacy platform. Building things that open doors for other people is kind of my thing.
When I'm not in "student-researcher mode," I write under the pen name ~H.Q, co-host The Silky & Smooth Podcast, and create content on Instagram as @im_born_visionary. I'm drawn to music, true crime, nostalgia, and anything that makes me think differently about people and systems.
