A Student’s Journey to Tech Industry Leadership
In a world where only 13% of applicants globally are recognized as AWS Cloud Captains, Deanna Liapis, a senior in the College of Continuing and Professional Studies (CCAPS) Information Technology Infrastructure (ITI) program, stands out as a beacon of leadership and innovation. Her story weaves together a rich tapestry of personal growth, technical curiosity, and an unwavering commitment to building connections.
From Design to Technology
Deanna’s journey into IT wasn’t a conventional one. “In high school, I was into artsy stuff and video production. One of my films was even featured in a festival,” she shared, recalling her early aspirations. She began her college career as a product design major but quickly realized that her true talent lay in creative problem-solving rather than artistic design.
“I wasn’t necessarily creative in an artsy way, but I was a creative problem solver,” Deanna explained. Her curiosity about emerging technologies, such as AI tools like Midjourney, led her to pivot toward IT. Despite having no computing background and an admitted struggle with math, Deanna took a leap of faith and enrolled in a Java programming course. “I loved it and ended up getting an A. That’s when I knew this was the path for me.”
Now a senior set to graduate in fall 2025, Deanna is eager to pursue a career in cybersecurity and technology strategy, potentially focusing on space technology—a passion rooted in her childhood dream of becoming an astronaut.
Building the Club from the Ground Up
Deanna’s leadership journey began with a conversation with CCAPS career counselor Liz Hruska. “I told Liz I wanted to start or join a club, and she connected me with Norman Owens, an AWS employee and former ITI instructor looking to establish a Cloud Club at the University of Minnesota,” Deanna recounted. Despite her limited technical experience at the time, Deanna seized the opportunity and became one of the 13% of applicants worldwide selected as an AWS Cloud Captain.
“At that point, I was saying yes to everything,” she admitted. Her determination and leadership skills proved invaluable as she worked with faculty advisors and AWS professionals to build the club from the ground up. Since its inception, the U’s AWS Cloud Club has grown to 40 members and hosted events with attendance exceeding expectations. “Our first official meeting had 45 attendees, even though only 40 had RSVP’d. It was amazing,” she said.
Under Deanna’s leadership, the Club focuses on impactful monthly events, from resume reviews with career advisors to speaker panels featuring AWS employees. “AWS networking and cloud computing careers can be challenging to break into,” she noted. “Our goal is to bring that community to students, giving them the opportunity to meet industry professionals and learn about the latest in cloud computing.”
Cultivating Future Tech Leadership
Deanna’s dedication extends beyond the Cloud Club, participating in a range of activities that contribute to her growth as a future tech professional. She has served as a corporate outreach officer for the Association for Computing Machinery for Women and participated in the Gopher Hack cybersecurity club, where she learned about security concepts and got some hands-on practice. This past semester, she worked as a teaching assistant for an intro to Java course at the College of Science and Engineering. In this capacity, Deanna hosted office hours twice a week and led two lab sessions.
"It was an incredibly rewarding experience," she reflects. "I believe my students taught me more than I taught them. The class was composed primarily of non-computer science majors, many of whom were encountering programming for the first time.” One of them was so inspired by Deanna's enthusiasm that they decided to pursue the ITI major themselves.
Deanna relates to her students in a very personal way. "I was once in their shoes," she says, recalling how she initially struggled with the transition from a product design background into the technology field. "I had no idea if I had what it takes to succeed in tech. I was a creative person, and I wasn’t sure how well I’d adapt."
Passing on her lesson of perseverance through self-doubt, Deanna tells her students that mistakes are an essential part of the learning process. "It's okay to mess up,” she insists. "You cannot learn without failure."
In addition to her teaching responsibilities, Deanna also works as a student specialist for the U’s Office of Information Technology. She is part of the Hybrid Enterprise Architecture team, where she encounters real-world IT challenges and opportunities to problem-solve. "This job has been a great supplement to my studies as an ITI major. It’s a fantastic way to spend my afternoons before class."
Not content to stop there, Deanna is also venturing into the world of podcasting. She plans to host a podcast aimed at empowering women in their 20s to explore their full professional and personal potential. The podcast will focus on actionable steps for nurturing personal and career goals, a reflection of Deanna’s own drive to pursue her passions with confidence and determination.
Advice for Aspiring IT Professionals
When asked what advice she would offer to students navigating their own career paths, Deanna’s message was clear: “Say yes to everything. It’s okay to change paths. Listen to yourself and what you want. Everything will work out.”
Monique Dubos is a writer and content strategist with the U of M College of Continuing and Professionals Studies, where she has covered the College’s noncredit professional development, construction management, health services management, and IT infrastructure programs since 2018. She has also written for the Institute on the Environment, the Minnesota Technical Assistance Program, and various publications. Connect with her via LinkedIn.