Deanna Liapis is part of an elite elite group – just 13% of candidates worldwide – who have obtained the prestigious title of captain of the AWS Cloud. With the support of Amazon Web Services (AWS), Cloud captains are students who guide and manage their “cloud clubs” on campus.
Liapis, a senior from the College of Continuing and Professional Studies from the University of Minnesota (CCAPS) Information Technology Infrastructure Program (ITI)Has started university as a major in product design, but quickly realized that its real talent was not an artistic design.
“I was not necessarily creative in an artistic way, but I was a solver of creative problems,” explains Liapis. His curiosity with regard to emerging technologies, such as IA tools like Midjourney, led her to pivot towards her. Despite no IT experience, she did an act of faith and signed up for a Java programming course. “I loved it and I ended up getting an A,” she said. “That’s when I knew it was the way for me.”
Build a cloud computing club from zero
Liapis’ leadership journey started with a conversation with the career advisor Ccaps Liz Hruska. “I told Liz that I wanted to start or join a club, and she connected me with Norman Owens, an AWS employee and former ITI instructor seeking to establish a Cloud club at the University of Minnesota,” said Liapis. Despite his technical experience limited at the time, Liapis took the opportunity to lead the club.
“At that time, I said yes to everything,” explains Liapis. Her determination and leadership skills proved to be invaluable while working with faculty advisers and AWS professionals to build the club from scratch. The club has since been over 40 members.
Under the direction of Liapis, the club focuses on the organization of monthly events, CV journals with career advisers to speakers featuring AWS employees. “AWS and Cloud Computing networks can be difficult to penetrate,” says Liapis. “Our objective is to bring this community to students, by giving them the opportunity to meet industry professionals and to find out about the latest people in cloud computing.”
Cultivate your leadership skills
The dedication of Liapis extends beyond the Cloud Club. She was responsible for raising the company’s awareness for the association for computing Machinery for Women and participated in the Gopher Hack Cybersecurity Club. During the last half, she worked as an educational assistant for an introduction during Java with the College of Science and Engineering of the University of Minnesota. (One of the students in the course was so inspired by his enthusiasm that they decided to continue the ITI themselves.)
In addition to her teaching responsibilities, Liapis works as a student specialist for the University of Minnesota Information Technology Office, where she meets challenges and opportunities for creative problems.
With his views to obtain his diploma in the fall of 2025, Liapis is eager to start a career in the cybersecurity and technology strategy, potentially focusing on space technology – a passion rooted in his childhood dream to become an astronaut.