Bank of America employee now mentoring others after pandemic job change

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - Brian Lorusso, a cybersecurity analyst at Bank of America, is now mentoring other bank employees after making a career change during the pandemic.

Lorusso, a Charlotte resident, worked in the hospitality industry for several years. He said he spent 15 years with Rare Roots Hospitality Group, helping the company expand from one restaurant to five.

During the pandemic, he decided it was time to change careers.

“COVID kind of rocked my world and (I started) realizing I didn’t want to be in that position anymore,” Lorusso told WBTV in a previous interview. “It really opened up how fragile the restaurant industry is for a lot of us.”

Soon after Lorusso’s 2021 story aired on WBTV, executives from Bank of America reached out to him. Craig Froelich, Bank of America’s chief information security officer, contacted the then-hospitality worker.

“I saw the story that was in the WBTV website and I was really just amazed at how much courage Brian showed by going from a career where he was obviously really successful to something that was totally foreign to him,” said Froelich. “When I got on the phone with him, I realized very quickly that he was an amazing guy and his grit and determination were something that was really unique and I suggested that he should start to interview for some positions here at the company.”

Lorusso was offered a job and has now been working with the bank for more than a year. He spoke to WBTV again earlier this month, saying he has no regrets about making a career change.

“Obviously, that comes with some nerves and hesitation, but I’ve been very fortunate and I perhaps maybe wish I did it a little sooner,” Lorusso said.

The analyst now works to keep the bank secure. His job transition journey started with a cybersecurity boot camp offered by UNC Charlotte.

The boot camp is a 24-week program designed to teach people the ins and outs of cybersecurity.

“They’re throwing as much at you as possible to help give you that knowledge base so that you’re confident to get out there and perform in that field,” explained the analyst.

Asher Haines, the associate provost for UNC Charlotte’s School of Professional Studies, has seen Lorusso and other students benefit from the school’s educational boot camps for adult learners.

“We have people from all different backgrounds, some that don’t have a bachelor’s degree, others that do, some that have graduate degrees and they were just all coming from different places in life and we want to take them from wherever they are and move them up with some new skills and new confidences,” Haines said.

Lorusso has already garnered praise from his superiors at the bank and is now mentoring other employees too.

“I like helping people so like seeing that lightbulb go off, seeing them learn something new and knowing what that felt like for me and being able to pass that along is a great feeling,” he said.

The analyst elaborated that he would like to move into a leadership role with Bank of America where he can one day oversee his own team.

To learn more about the boot camps offered by UNC Charlotte, visit their website.

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