Participating in CDW from Anderson were Aaron Wilson, Andrew Dowlen, Brycen Morrison, Clark Hubbard, Ethan Green, Graham Edwards, Jadyn Koenes, Joshua Cordeiro, Joshua Stephens, Lawson Bryant and Nathan Dorrity.听

Student Winners听

Several students earned awards and accolades for their outstanding performance, demonstrating the preparation and professionalism that鈥檚 part of 91福利社鈥檚 pillar of Great Academics.听听

Jadyn Koenes received the Best Overall Leader Award, in recognition of her leading by example and consistently guiding and elevating the team.听

Brycen Morrison was a finalist in the Cisco Executive Proposition Pitch (Top 8 of 39).听

Graham Edwards received Best Networker Award for building meaningful connections with company leaders and peers. He was also a WWT Product-to-Personal Problem Pitch finalist (Top 8 of 39), team winner for WWT and Cisco and winner of the Cisco Product-to-Personal Pitch. 听

Joshua Stephens was named a finalist (Top 8 of 39) for the WWT Executive Value Proposition Pitch. He was also a finalist (Top 8 of 39) for the Cisco Product to Personal Pitch.听

Joshua Cordeiro was team winner (WWT and Cisco) and a finalist (Top 8 of 39) for the Cisco Product-to-Personal Pitch.听

Ethan Green was team winner for the Real-World Use Case Challenge (WWT and Cisco).听

Andrew Dowlen (pictured below with Scholar-AthELITE CEO and Founder Rashard Hall) received the Resilient Leader Award for demonstrating resilience and leadership when facing challenges. 听

Pursuing Professional Growth听

Working closely with Scholar-AthELITE CEO and Founder Rashard Hall and his team, the students found CDW to be a valuable growth opportunity. 听

鈥淭he scholar-athletes and cybersecurity students from 91福利社 set the tone for the entire trip. Once Cisco and World Wide Technology made it clear they wanted the best, that鈥檚 exactly what these students delivered,鈥� Hall said, adding that, less than a month after the trip, there are already several cybersecurity students who have interviewed for and secured career opportunities with听global companies. 听

鈥淭hat speaks volumes about the preparation, execution, and standard being set,鈥� Hall continued. 鈥淛adyn Koenes was one of the strongest leaders I鈥檝e seen on a trip like this. Graham Edwards and Joshua Stephens were true triple threats鈥攂lending technical expertise, strong communication, and high-level networking ability. The entire group was ELITE.听

What Dr. Kenneth Knapp, Karry Elson and Brandon Grech are doing in the cybersecurity classrooms, combined with what Anderson Athletics is building through the intentional integration of the Trojan Playbook, is setting them apart鈥攃reating a culture where scholar-athletes are not only prepared to compete, but to lead and succeed beyond the game.鈥�听

Student Reflections听

鈥淐areer Discovery Week granted me an opportunity to find my role in the executive space of the corporate world while finding my soul in the hearts of my colleagues,鈥� said Edwards. 鈥淩ashard not only poured into me professionally in encouraging my growth in communication and networking, he poured into me both personally and spiritually, reshaping my personal confidence and self-image.鈥�听

鈥淭his experience helped transform my self-esteem,鈥� said Koenes, who is pursuing听an internship with WWT this summer. 鈥淐areer Discovery Week changed the way I think about being part of a team. Organizations like Scholar-AthELITE create huge career opportunities for college students. Coach Britt saw something in me that I didn鈥檛 see in myself and helped me step into my talents confidently.鈥�听

鈥淐areer Discovery Week gave me insight into how the big tech businesses of the world function, and I learned and saw a lot of things that either I didn’t expect, or didn’t even think about,鈥� said Stephens. 鈥淚鈥檓 thrilled that 91福利社 partnered with Scholar-AthELITE to make this trip happen. It exceeded my expectations, and ultimately will serve as a milestone in both my education and career goal journey.鈥� 听

Stephens couldn鈥檛 have been more enthusiastic about Career Discovery Week.听

鈥淕o. You will learn, you will have fun, and you’ll have a safe space to step out of your comfort zone,鈥� he said.听

Networking听

Connecting with Cisco and World Wide Technology was a great way of gaining exposure to industry leaders, career opportunities and real-world business challenges, according to Brandon Grech of the AU Center for Cybersecurity. 听

鈥淚t was incredible to see these students arrive with passion and support for their future careers and their AthELITE cohoort,鈥� said Cisco Federal Marketing Manager Kelly Broadhurst. 鈥淭hey truly did their research and came with a strong sense of purpose.鈥�听

鈥淭he experience was transformational for both employees and students, and the connections I built with the students are something I deeply value,鈥� said World Wide Technology Global HR 鈥� Talent Acquisition University Recruiter Dora Moreira. 鈥淭he level of professionalism, thoughtful company research, personal pitches, insightful questions, and genuine gratitude moved me deeply.鈥�听

The post Cybersecurity Students Explore Cisco and Worldwide Technology in D.C. appeared first on 91福利社.

The NCL听competition, which听took place听this past听October, helps听students practice their skills learned in听Anderson鈥檚 Cybersecurity听program. Employers are often attracted to students听who听perform听well in these听competitions.听

Gov. McMaster鈥檚听proclamation states, 鈥淚t gives me听great pleasure听to congratulate you for placing fifth nationally in the fall 2025 National Cyber League (NCL) Cyber Power Rankings. With over 9,000 students from 549 colleges and universities across the country听participating听in this competition season, this is a great honor. The NCL competition is a wonderful opportunity to听showcase听individual skills, collaborative performance, and the desire to grow and learn as cybersecurity professionals. Peggy and I wish you all the best and congratulate your success.鈥�听

One of the top-performing AU cybersecurity students who made this recognition possible is听senior cybersecurity student听Aaron McCurry, who听has been competing in the National Cyber League competitions for 91福利社 since his听freshman听year. Throughout Aaron鈥檚 undergraduate journey, gaining hands-on experience and knowledge at AU, he landed two different internships at CrowdStrike throughout the past two summers.听

鈥淚 feel very blessed to be a part of such a great program, with elite professors and peers听to push听me to keep getting better. It is a privilege to have that here in a Christian environment at AU,” McCurry said.听

Upon graduation, McCurry has a signed job offer to work at CrowdStrike full-time as an Incident Response Associate Consultant.听

鈥淎aron is a great example of how AU cybersecurity students can be plugged in with their peers starting from the first semester and continue to hone their skills throughout the technical, hands-on experiences in the classroom and outside of the classroom in practicing for and competing in the national cybersecurity competitions,” said Cybersecurity Professor Brandon Grech. 鈥淎aron showcases how students can be听readily听prepared for the cybersecurity workforce upon graduation via personal development and听internships.鈥澨�听

McCurry recently placed number 9 in the nation and was one of four cybersecurity students trained at 91福利社 to place within the Top 15 against thousands of cybersecurity students across the country. More about this competition can be found at this link.听

The AU Center for Cybersecurity听听听
The 91福利社 Center for Cybersecurity trains students to meet the unique demands of today鈥檚 cybersecurity industry. The Center offers students the freedom to choose a degree track that focuses solely on cybersecurity or adds specializations in one of three areas: analytics, criminal justice, or mathematics. Details are available鈥�online.听

The post Governor McMaster Praises 91福利社 Cybersecurity Students appeared first on 91福利社.

Twenty-four students鈥�89 percent of the class鈥攅arned the CCP credential, the highest number since the听inception听of the Anderson Cybersecurity program.鈥���听鈥�听

The AWS CCP certification听demonstrates听that students have a strong foundational understanding of AWS cloud concepts, core services, and essential terminology. As AWS听remains听the world鈥檚 largest cloud computing provider, this credential affirms that Anderson students are developing the data security, network security, and access-control skills needed to work confidently in modern cloud environments.听鈥�听

Earning the CCP is also an important early step for students pursuing careers in cloud computing and cybersecurity.鈥�听

Dr Ken Knapp, the Director of the Anderson Cybersecurity Center elaborates, 鈥淓mployers consistently tell us they value this entry-level credential. 鈥疘t鈥檚听an advantage that can make听a big impact听when applying for internships and jobs.鈥� We are proud of our students鈥� hard work and excited to see where their cloud and cybersecurity skills take them next.鈥�听

鈥�听

The post A Record Number of Cybersecurity Students Earn AWS Credential appeared first on 91福利社.

On October 23, Cybersecurity Professor Karry Elson, along with Cybersecurity students Thomas Cain and Branson Bailey, teamed up for a presentation to students at Landrum Middle School in Landrum, South Carolina. Educating听youth about pitfalls in technology and what to do if something negative happens to them is a community service that helps not only middle school students, but also the AU Cybersecurity students. In addition, they gave a couple of demonstrations as to how hackers may steal users’ information.鈥�听

According to Professor Elson, this is the second year they鈥檝e visited Landrum Middle School, adding that they hope to continue visiting every year.听

鈥淭he feedback from the teachers and principals after the events was very positive and we look forward to finding other opportunities in local communities to spread good cybersecurity practices, as well as promoting AU to prospective students,鈥� Professor Elson said. 听

The AU Center for Cybersecurity鈥�听

The 91福利社 Center for Cybersecurity trains students to meet the unique demands of today鈥檚 cybersecurity industry. The Center offers students the freedom to choose a degree track that focuses solely on cybersecurity or adds specializations in one of three areas: analytics, criminal justice, or mathematics. Details are available online.鈥�鈥�听

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91福利社 Cybersecurity majors continue to gain impressive rankings in national Cyber League competitions.听

This semester, approximately 8,500 students from approximately 550 colleges and universities across the United States competed in National Cyber League (NCL) competition.听

91福利社 (SC) is currently out of the more than 500 colleges and universities across the United States, and schools in Canada who are coming into the national competition. According to Cybersecurity Professor Brandon Grech, this is the fifth semester in a row that AU cybersecurity students and teams have been ranked in the Top 20. And on top of that, 91福利社 has reclaimed the title as the highest ranked Christian institution in cybersecurity competition. 听

The competition鈥檚 rankings can be found online .

Individual Competition听

Against 4,601 students, 91福利社 (SC) had 41 students compete. Five AU students placed in the Top 20 against 4,601 students. Six AU students are ranked in the Top 40 with the following ranks:听

8. Eric Watkins (AU/KSU) (Splorpy)听

11. Joshua Karpus (KarpetK)

14. Camden Sloan (goPHISH)听

19. Graham Edwards (GCracker)

20. Josh Cordeiro (Herohunter@AU)

36. Aaron M. (at0m1c)

Impressive individual efforts were also made by Yawen Taylor, Kyle Beauregard, Ben Mullikin, Branson Bailey, Jaimee Sanders, Brycen Morrison, Ryan Welch, Noah Perricelli, Nathan Dorrity, Charlie Paddock, Joshua Stephens, Thomas Cain, Garrett Patterson, Joshua Barrus, David Montoya, Christopher Taylor, Zachary Lee, Konner Abercrombie, Caleb Boyter, Gentry Watson, Addie Wornom, Stephen Davis, Jack McCotter, Grayson Williams, Adam Bousquet, Michael Pavel, Cynthia Ray, Maximus McBride, Paulina Thornton, Jadyn Koenes, Cory Freeburn, Jenna Henry, Ethan Green, Adam Kayser and Andrew Blakney.

Team Competition
Against 1,176 teams, 91福利社 (SC) had nine teams compete鈥攖wo of them placed in the top 10 in the nation. Here are the rankings:听

9. AU_PH1SH3RSOFM3N

10. bebo@au

97. AUth.log

137. TheLastSSHipCrew@AU

185. PhantomTroupe

Impressive efforts were also made by 1337 Speak Only, Gotcha Gang, Anderson Cyber Corps, and 418: Teapot.听

AU students are doing an incredible job preparing for competitions and the workforce!听

鈥淥ur students keep telling us that 91福利社鈥檚 success in the NCL is making a real difference when it comes to landing internships and full-time jobs,” said AU Center for Cybersecurity Director Dr. Kenneth Knapp. 鈥淭hanks to the great coaching from Dr. Brandon Grech, AU has consistently ranked among the top schools nationally鈥攁nd I think that momentum will only grow. This kind of ranking stands out on a r茅sum茅, and our cybersecurity students should be proud of what they鈥檝e accomplished.鈥�听听

The AU Center for Cybersecurity听听

The 91福利社 Center for Cybersecurity trains students to meet the unique demands of today鈥檚 cybersecurity industry. The Center offers students the freedom to choose a degree track that focuses solely on cybersecurity or adds specializations in one of three areas: analytics, criminal justice, or mathematics. Details are available鈥�online.听

The post 91福利社 (SC) Cybersecurity Students Ranked Sixth in the U.S., Also Top Cyber Program Among Christian Institutions appeared first on 91福利社.

Two such opportunities took place during February.听

One was held Ralph Chandler Middle School in Simpsonville, South Carolina. AU Cybersecurity student Andre Newton spoke to the students about exploring careers in Cybersecurity. They discussed topics ranging from how to keep themselves safe while online, what careers cybersecurity offers, and how ransomware works.听

At Landrum Middle School in Landrum, South Carolina, Cybersecurity Professor Karry Elson, AU Cybersecurity IT Integration Specialist Genevieve Bronson, and AU Cybersecurity student Jack Treaster teamed up to make a presentation on cybersecurity safety. Educating our youth about pitfalls in technology and what to do if something negative happens to them is a community service that helps not only the middle school students, but also the AU Cybersecurity students.听

The feedback from the teachers and principals after the events was very positive and we look forward to finding other opportunities in local communities to spread good cybersecurity practices, as well as promoting AU to prospective students.听

The AU Center for Cybersecurity听

The 91福利社 Center for Cybersecurity trains students to meet the unique demands of today鈥檚 cybersecurity industry. The Center offers students the freedom to choose a degree track that focuses solely on cybersecurity or adds specializations in one of three areas: analytics, criminal justice, or mathematics. Details are available鈥�online.听

The post Promoting Cybersecurity Awareness at Area Schools appeared first on 91福利社.

There are currently 27 initial graduates of the MS STEM programs between the Summer and Fall semesters (7 Summer and 20 Fall). The students are primarily from India but also include students from Spain and France. Most of the new graduates are traveling to Anderson to take part in commencement ceremonies. 听

The International Graduate School at 91福利社 represents an important step in fulfilling needs identified in the global workforce by offering hybrid programs consisting of online instruction and three-day intensives which take place at the University Center of Greenville. IGS faculty consists of 91福利社 professors, complemented by a talented cadre of adjunct professors who possess extensive professional experience in their respective fields.听

AU IGS began offering classes in January 2023 and currently offers master鈥檚 degree programs in Information Technology Management, Business Analytics, Professional Business Analytics, Cybersecurity Management and Computer Science.听

鈥淭he reason I chose 91福利社 is because of its strong background and history as well,鈥� said Rahul Roy Battu, who completed his MS in Business Analytics and comes from Hyderabad, Telangana, India. 鈥淚 have a background of business management in India, so Anderson is also supporting and getting new connections so that will help me to grow my career in the States. Professors here at Anderson… you can reach out to them at any time and they will guide you on your assignments. They’ll guide you on your career progress or academic progress. They’ll also help you with your interests and they’ll guide you on the right path to choose which way to go in.鈥�听

Hridya Padma Sai Vakkalanka, a MS Cybersecurity Management graduate from Hyderabad, Telangana, completed her bachelor鈥檚 degree in commerce back in India. Passionate about computers, she discovered Anderson鈥檚 Cybersecurity Management program. She feels having such a degree is a definite plus to include on her r茅sume. 听

“There are so many courses in the curriculum that have fascinated me,鈥� Vakkalanka said. 鈥淭hey have excellent faculty鈥攖hey’re not only experienced but they鈥檙e supportive. They give you full attention.鈥�听

For Jittin Nautiyal, who came to the U.S. from India 12 years ago, the Cybersecurity Management program at Anderson fit well within his professional goals and offered more than he initially expected.听

鈥淲hat I like about this university is that they have their values intact,鈥� said Nautiyal, who currently lives in New Jersey. 鈥淵ou’re acquiring skills and they are instilling some things in you to keep you grounded and make you a better person.鈥�听听

鈥淎nderson is a great choice for me. Everybody is supportive, warm and welcoming. I can easily connect with other students and professors,鈥� said Sowmiya Bhagavathsing of Chennai, India.听

鈥淭he main thing I like about professors at Anderson is they treat everyone equal. To anyone wanting to do a master鈥檚 in the USA, I always recommend Anderson,鈥� said Subham Kothari, who currently lives in Kansas.听

Details about the 91福利社 International Graduate School can be found online here.听

The post 91福利社 Celebrates First International Graduate School Graduates appeared first on 91福利社.

Approximately 8,500 students competed in the Fall 2024 competition.听

91福利社 Center for Cybersecurity鈥檚 team is currently ranked out of approximately 550 colleges and universities in the nation鈥攖he fourth semester in a row for the AU team to be ranked in the Top 20.

There were 38 91福利社 students in NCL Individual Game. Five AU students placed in the top 75鈥攁gainst a total of 4,584 students:

31 – Graham Edwards (GCracker)
50 – Camden Sloan (goPH!$H)
55 – Aaron McCurry (at0m1c)
60 – Joshua Cordeiro (Herohunter@AU)
70 – Seth Taylor (cloverblack44)

Outstanding individual competitors were Ben Mullikin, Josh Karpus, Jaimee Sanders, Nate Dorrity, Michael Pavel, Charlie Paddock, Branson Bailey, Joshua Stephens, Noah Perricelli, Meredith Frick, Nicholas Fowler, Caleb Boyter, Brycen Morrison, Thomas Cain, Mason Kellam, Kyle Beauregard, Jack McCotter, Dylan Wyatt, Chris Taylor, Adelaine Wornom, Jadyn Koenes, Cynthia “Lucy” Ray, Ethan Green, Emilyn Amborski, Stephen Davis, Zachary Lee, Christopher Barnard, Liam Simpson, Courtney Blum, Tiago Perez, Ryan Welch, Andrew Blakney and Andrea Deambrosi.

In the NCL Team Game, 12 teams from 91福利社 (SC) competed against 1,189 teams.

Placing at number 25 was AU_PH1SH3RSOFM3N and at 52 was ClearlyYouDontOwnAnAirfryer.

Additional impressive efforts were also made by NCL: Singleplayer Edition@AU (Top 13%), AUth.log@AU (Top 18%), AU_Cyber_Hobbits (Top 20%), DockingSSHip@Port22 (Top 20%), and Error404:TeamNotFound (Top 20%)!
听

91福利社 Center for Cybersecurity teams:听

• AU_PH1SH3RSOFM3N: Camden Sloan, Aaron McCurry, Zachary Lee, Charlie Paddock, Kyle Beauregard, Noah Perricelli and Joshua Cordeiro.听

• ClearlyYouDontOwnAnAirfryer: Nicholas Fowler, Joshua Karpus and Nathan Dorrity.听

• NCL: Singleplayer Edition@AU:鈥疍avid 鈥淕raham鈥� Edwards.听

• AUth.log@AU: Branson Bailey, Brycen Morrison, Jack McCotter and Ryan Shiley.听

• AU_Cyber_Hobbits: Mason Kellam, Seth Taylor, Courtney Blum, Meredith Frick, Ethan Green, Spencer Brunson and Grayson Williams.听

• DockingSSHip@Port22: Jaimee Sanders, Cynthia “Lucy” Ray, Caleb Boyter, Thomas Cain, Ben Mullikin and Adelaine Wornom.听

• Error404:TeamNotFound: Michael Pavel, Dylan Wyatt, Chris Taylor and Tiago Perez.
  听

Impressive team efforts were also made by Patrick Dodds, Matthew McLaughlin, Seth Dykens, Christopher Barnard, Stephen Davis, Joshua Stephens, Emilyn Amborski, Jadyn Koenes and Andrea Deambrosi.听

Cybersecurity Professor and Competition Coach Brandon Grech shared how the AU students continue to increase their own Individual and Team performance.听

鈥淭his semester continues to show how our students improve each semester on their way towards graduation and the workforce,鈥� Grech said. 鈥淚f you compare Spring 2024 results against Fall 2024, you will see so many students increase their overall score and rankings. Multiple students jumped from in the Top 350 (Spring 2024) to the Top 75 (Fall 2024). Also, AU_PH1SH3RSOFM3N increased their overall challenge completion from 92.4 percent last semester to 97.5 percent this semester.鈥�听

Grech also shared that there are so many individual and team accomplishments that students will be able to show employers on their resume. He commented, 鈥淒uring the Fall 2024 NCL Individual Game, Camden Sloan was ranked number one in the country in the Cryptography section. Camden was the first student to complete all 17 cryptography tasks with 100 percent accuracy.鈥�听

AU Cybersecurity students are already gearing up for Spring 2025 competitions. That AU students excel in these competitions is a testament to the University’s pillar of Great Academics.

鈥淢any of our students have already identified areas where they want to continue to improve over the Christmas Break and in the Spring semester. We are preparing new practice sessions to continue to advance our students鈥� skills in this ever-changing field,鈥� Grech said. “We are very blessed here with these wonderful students and an optimal learning environment.”

The post AU Cybersecurity Ranks in top 20鈥擜gain appeared first on 91福利社.

Performing a broad variety of cybersecurity-related tasks, Adelaine Wornom experienced what security analysis looks like at Strataseal in Charlotte.

鈥淚 was part of the first intern class for this company,鈥� Wornom said. 鈥淚 was able to shadow security analyst teams as they went through log events in cloud platforms such as Azure I also worked on editing instant response playbooks for clients and worked on 听processing various cyber contingency plans.鈥�

Wornom says her internship helped her to see what kind of security analyst she wants to be when she graduates.

This past summer, Sean St. Clair interned at Scientific Research Corporation (SRC) in Augusta, Georgia.

鈥淚 was part of an internship class where they worked within an in-house developed range to simulate the penetration test,鈥� said St. Clair, who was able to sharpen his skills in enumeration, exploitation and privilege escalation skills as well as have the chance to mentor some younger interns.

Jaimee Sanders was a cybersecurity governance intern at the headquarters for Milliken in Spartanburg. She plans to work with them part-time during the spring semester and will transition to full time work for the major company after she graduates.

Of her program at 91福利社, Sanders said, 鈥淎ll I have learned, I took into my internship. What I鈥檝e been able to do here really helped build my confidence for what I did at Milliken.

Mittie Borden and Courtney Blum interned at Santee Cooper, a public energy utility based in Moncks Corner, South Carolina.

Borden worked as a security analyst in the CSOC (Cybersecurity Operations Center). She also gained experience in contingency planning, cyberthreat intelligence and vulnerability management.

鈥淚 used a lot of things I learned in the 听听Linux class. My networking security course was very helpful in my internship and it put me ahead of other interns in our company, even though I was a freshman when I started,鈥� Borden said.

Blum did analyst work related to email security and vulnerability management, learning more about penetration testing鈥攁reas thoroughly covered in her classes at Anderson.

She added, 鈥淚 also did a 9 a.m. briefing every morning where I presented in front of the cybersecurity department anything cybersecurity related that happened the day before that had any relation to the company.鈥�

Most exciting for both Borden and Blum was an offer of a full-time job with Santee Cooper.

Ryan Welch became inspired early on from his dad鈥檚 work with computers and how he enjoyed his job.

鈥淚 worked with a company called Ethox Chemicals,鈥� Welch said of his internship. 鈥淚 worked in the data management sector. When I was there last summer we had a new ERP system, which is a database system. We had to implement our old system to our new system, so I was in charge of trying to create a procedure of how to move all the data over and also routing the standard operation procedures for the new database.鈥�

Meredith Frick, who transferred to 91福利社 during her sophomore year, found her niche in Cybersecurity after exploring several other majors. She spent this past summer as an information security intern at United Community Bank.

鈥淚鈥檓 actually learning a lot in my contingency class right now that I was able to do over the summer,鈥� Frick said. 鈥淚 helped the information security team. I assisted them in their governance, risk management and compliance areas. I also helped with the data protection monitoring and security monitoring and I also helped with the email firewall applications.鈥�

Sofia Deambrosi grew up around technology. She took several programming classes and even built her own computer as a youngster.

鈥淥riginally I was thinking of getting a medical degree and becoming a doctor. Then I explored the program here at 91福利社 and thought it sounded really interesting,鈥� Deambrosi said. 鈥淚 figured it鈥檚 going to be a few years shorter than being a doctor and sounded just as interesting and fulfilling, so I switched.鈥�

Deambrosi was a cybersecurity consultant intern working under the assessment team of Elliott Davis in downtown Greenville.

鈥淚 did a few projects with other interns there as well as shadow a lot of my own team and then created a few templates for policy, suggestions for clients, as well as work with some technology there,鈥� Deambrosi said.

Like Deambrosi and several other cybersecurity classmates, Seth Taylor has been into computers and all things STEM from a young age.

鈥淚n middle school and high school, I did a lot of engineering and computer science classes,鈥� said Taylor, who was an IT intern at 91福利社 over the summer.

鈥淚 worked for the IT department as well as the security team here. I worked under Curt Kappenman, who is our CSO (Chief Security Officer), and I did threat hunting and threat protection and I also did some forensics work.鈥�

Some of the classes that really stood out for Taylor were in the areas of network security, threat intelligence, threat management and digital forensics.

An adventure of discovery ensued when Andrew Blakney鈥檚 high school lent him a computer. He played around with it, trying to figure out software workarounds as he was familiarizing himself with his device鈥檚 intricacies. He says his classes in Python, CIS and network security have helped him the most. Blakney spent his summer as an information security analyst intern at World Finance鈥檚 corporate offices in Greenville.

鈥淥ne of my biggest jobs was running phishing campaigns or working on user access reviews to see which users have the right permissions,鈥� Blakney said.

Gentry Watson spent his summer internship working on an IT and project management team at the People鈥檚 Bank in Anderson.

鈥淚 started a lot in help desk doing simple things like staging computers for new users,鈥� Watson said. 鈥淚 did some risk management and some business continuity planning.鈥�

Watson feels 听his coursework at Anderson鈥檚 cybersecurity program has been extremely helpful.

鈥淟ast semester, before the internship, I took the Risk Management course. During that time, I think that helped me out the most because during that time we talked a lot about business continuity management and risk management. I did a lot of that over my internship, that benefited me the most.鈥�

Josh Karpus teaches computer science classes to home schoolers.

鈥淲hen I first started looking for colleges, I wasn’t really interested in any cybersecurity, but I like computers and didn’t really know what I wanted to do. 鈥淚 decided to do cybersecurity and it was kind of going out on a limb鈥擨鈥檝e enjoyed it. Dr. Knapp鈥檚 great and Brandon Grech and Karry Elson鈥攁ll of them are fantastic professors,鈥� Karpus said.鈥淭he real thing that hooked me was the Capture the Flag competitions here.鈥�

Please note鈥�91福利社 students are national leaders in Capture the Flag Competitions such as the National Cyber League (NCL) Games, which offer students a variety of challenges to test their cybersecurity skills in areas that include identifying hackers, auditing vulnerable websites and recovering from ransomware attacks.

Karpus continued, 鈥淚 teach basic level Python to group of home schoolers for a local hybrid Academy here in Anderson.鈥�

鈥淭hat鈥檚 a big deal because we need teachers,鈥� says Dr. Kenneth Knapp, director of the 91福利社 Center for Cybersecurity. 鈥淲e鈥檙e encouraging some of our students to consider going into teaching, because there’s a need for cybersecurity teachers in high school and college as well as professionals in the industry. Josh is leading the way.鈥�

The AU Center for Cybersecurity

The 91福利社 Center for Cybersecurity trains students to meet the unique demands of today鈥檚 cybersecurity industry. The Center gives you the freedom to choose a degree track that focuses solely on cybersecurity or adds specializations in one of three areas: analytics, criminal justice, or mathematics. Details are available online.

Cybersecurity Awareness Month

Cybersecurity Awareness Month is an international initiative that highlights actions
everyone can take to stay safe online. Cybersecurity Awareness Month is supported by corporations, government agencies,
schools, tribes, non-profits and professionals dedicated to cybersecurity education and
protecting our communities.

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For Watkins, the competition was a grueling eight hours, but he鈥檚 pumped that he placed so high. He explains that, going into the competition, he didn鈥檛 know any real specifics about the challenges.听听

鈥淭he only information we know going into any competition is what the general categories are going to be, so we’ll know if it’s going to be open-source intelligence, like basically finding information online in any form or fashion,鈥� Watkins said. 鈥淢y strategy is that I typically go one by one through the different categories and just see how much I can get done.鈥�听

The Department of Defense Cyber Sentinel CTF is on a tighter timeframe than the National Cyber League (NCL) competitions, which run three days, so Watkins had to think fast as he worked through the challenges.听听听

Correlation One hosts the competition for the Department of Defense to recruit potential cybersecurity professionals. Details about the competition can be found online .听听

The 91福利社 Center for Cybersecurity presented its students with the opportunity to enter the competition and Watkins, who has an interest in possibly pursuing a cybersecurity career in the area of defense, signed up.听

Going into the competition, Watkins was already nationally-ranked, being part of a team that National Cyber League (NCL) ranked number five for two consecutive semesters.听听

Growing up, Watkins was a serious gamer. Then his curiosity got the best of him.听

鈥淚 was probably 13 or 14 years old, I was really big into gaming and also game coding. What I liked to do was modding (modifying) the games themselves, changing the fundamental code,鈥� Watkins said. 鈥淚 downloaded a bunch of mods from online from a lot of sketchy places that I shouldn鈥檛 have been downloading from, and one of those turned out to be a virus. It hacked my entire computer, got all the credit cards, all the phone numbers, probably more sensitive information that’s probably just floating out there in the dark web.鈥�听

Thankfully, Watkins鈥� family got back the money they lost in the attack. He was shaken by the experience, but it strengthened his desire to look into cybersecurity as a worthwhile field to enter.听听

鈥淚 love technology, love learning how to code, love learning how to make Windows and other operating systems do random cool stuff, and then it just became more prevalent in my mind that cybersecurity was the thing I wanted to do,鈥� said Watkins. 鈥淭hen when I found out 91福利社 had a great cybersecurity program, I was like 鈥榟ey this looks like a great opportunity.鈥欌��听

A big interest for Watkins is penetration testing鈥攂asically ethical hacking.听听

鈥淚 would be contracted or hired by companies to audit their systems and find vulnerabilities before a hacker can find them and then submit these vulnerabilities to the companies that they can patch themselves,鈥� Watkins said. 鈥淏asically, just being a hacker for a company, just without any malicious intent.鈥澨�听

Watkins appreciates the hands-on aspect of the 91福利社 Center for Cybersecurity. In the Cybersecurity Lab at 91福利社, cybersecurity majors experience firsthand how cyberattacks work and how to perform offensive and defensive activities鈥攁ll in a protected, but real digital environment.听听

91福利社鈥檚 Center for Cybersecurity includes a wide range of technical and non-technical courses where students get hands-on experience doing real-world, current, employer-desired cybersecurity functions. These courses, the cybersecurity range and the additional cybersecurity competition practices give AU students the environment to be successful.听

Cybersecurity Professor Brandon Grech stated that it takes more than the environment to be successful. It takes internal motivation and grit.听

鈥淚t should be noted that nothing beats the intrinsic drive of students to be successful,” Grech said. 鈥淎U students, like Eric, refuse to give up. They do not take no for an answer. They are resilient, always learning, and complete the task at hand. There is no better way to show employers how prepared our students are than to place amongst the best of the best against students (National Cyber League) and seasoned professionals (DoD Cyber Sentinel).鈥�听

The 91福利社 Center for Cybersecurity trains students to meet the unique demands of today鈥檚 cybersecurity industry. Degree tracks focus on cybersecurity with specializations in analytics, criminal justice, or mathematics. Details can be found online.听

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