Much like the beloved Christmas hero "Rudolph," I navigated the challenges of being different and ultimately used my unique skills to infiltrate Yahoo's well-known security team, the Paranoids. Instead of trying to fit in with technical prowess, I paired with various characters, from resident AOL old schoolers to the inhabitants of the Island of Misfit Toys at Yahoo -- complimenting developers, challenging the cybersecurity status quo, and changing the perception of 'what a techie should be' of one of the best security teams in the industry.

This talk will take you through my journey as a nontraditional engineer who used 'special sauce' to unlock the potential of security architects at Yahoo, the security accomplishments achieved, and why every company should supercharge its existing talent with its own "Misfit."