Durasia Anderson

Durasia Anderson is a born and raised Northeast Ohioan and aspiring data scientist. As she says, “numbers are my thing.” She knew growing up that she wanted to find a way that her knack for math and data could help. When planning for college, she became interested in cybersecurity because she saw this was a way that she could give back and help protect people. 

Durasia began attending the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY to pursue a degree in Mathematics. Right as Durasisa was set to begin her senior year of school, a family emergency arose among other stressors. It was at this time she decided to take a leave of absence to focus on her and her family’s health.

Because this was a private school, her tuition rate was no longer locked. When she prepared to return to school, her tuition had increased and the work study program she had done previously was no longer available. While Durasia was able to work out a solution for room and board with the university, she still had to find a way to get her final two semesters tuition taken care of. 

HFLA’s Education Loan was able to provide this funding directly to the university, along with providing funds to take care of some living expenses. Durasia was able to put her focus back on school and back on her vision. 

Durasia graduated, December 2020 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Mathematics with a concentration in computation. She currently works as a rotational analyst for a banking organization and would like to continue working in cybersecurity. She is active in her community through her church and volunteers for the food pantry and community events. 

When asked about how HFLA helped her,” HFLA was able to help me navigate an extremely chaotic time in my life. With their help, not only was school covered, but I was able to learn how to manage a budget and gain accountability skills.”