Centriq recognizes 1-2 outstanding students as our Featured Student of the Month. Lauren Bly is one of our Featured Students for February 2026.
Meet Lauren Bly! With a strong background in leadership and operations from her time as a U.S. Army Logistics Officer, Lauren has always been driven by curiosity and the drive to solve complex problems.
After graduating summa cum laude from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, Lauren built an impressive IT career at standout organizations like Cerner, FanThreeSixty, and Honeywell. Her passion for technology is fueled by the intersection of people and innovations. She’s always eager to understand how things work and how to improve them.
When asked about what drew her to Centriq’s Cybersecurity Specialist Program, Lauren shared, “I’ve wanted to attend Centriq since 2018, but life — and my service in the Army — kept shifting the timeline. When the opportunity finally aligned, I knew it was the right step. Pursuing training at Centriq represents a commitment to investing in myself and building in-demand skills that open doors to meaningful career opportunities.”
At Centriq, Lauren’s favorite subject was building Virtual Machines (VMs). “It allows me to apply what we’ve learned in class in a hands-on way,” she explains. “Seeing how operating systems, software, and security controls interact in real time has helped me better understand how a computer functions and how it can be protected from malicious threat actors.”
Outside of work and studying, Lauren is just as dynamic. You’ll find her either sewing, enjoying a good book, or trying to make her cats Instagram famous.
Lauren’s next step? Continue building knowledge and hands-on cybersecurity experience, with a goal to become a penetration tester: a vital role in any organization’s defense, identifying vulnerabilities before they can be exploited.
Centriq celebrates Lauren’s dedication, resilience, and unwavering curiosity — qualities that will no doubt support her journey in cybersecurity and beyond.