ECU cybersecurity alumnus returns to speak to students

A 2015 East Carolina University graduate returned to encourage leadership in students during presentations to industrial supervision classes in the College of Engineering and Technology.

Dustin Stocks, a 2015 graduate of ECU and a cybersecurity senior architect for Bank of America in Charlotte, speaks to an industrial supervision class. (Photo by Ken Buday)

Dustin Stocks earned a bachelor’s in information and computer technology with a concentration in cybersecurity and now is a senior architect at Bank of America in Charlotte.

Stocks, a native of Greenville who went to D.H. Conley High School, served in the Marine Corps for five years, including tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, before coming to ECU. After getting his degree, he worked as a contractor before landing a full-time job with Bank of America.

He related all those experiences to the students during his presentation.

“Know where you’re at. Evaluate yourself,” he told students. “If you’re doing something that’s not going anywhere, look elsewhere.”

And where students are at and where they are going will be different.

“You’re all sitting in the same classroom, but you all want different things,” he said. “Getting from point A to point B is not always a straight line. You’re going to have curves and detours but stay positive.”

He encouraged students to participate in campus organizations, to build a complete resume and update it frequently, and to use all the resources at ECU that are available to them.

“My first contact for my first job as a contractor came at the career fair,” he said. “Take advantage of all those things.”

He also offered some hints once students graduate and are in the workplace, such as finding a good mentor.

“Find someone who has done the things you want to do,” he said. “Find someone who has gone through the struggles and come out on the other side.”

He said building a good team is a must.

“You need to surround yourself with people who will push you,” he said.

And he told them to be a leader no matter what position they have.

“Being a good leader does not require you to be a manager,” he said. “You can be a leader in any position in a company. Being a good leader is about guiding people. Good leadership goes a long way.”