DEFEATING THE ONLINE ENEMY
considered a professional in this industry,” she said. “But this program offers you a chance to get those certifications.” She added that the program is a “foundational part of my career that I don’t think I could have gotten anywhere else, honestly. I’ve met tons of people and got certifications to get started in the workforce. I already have the foundational skills because of this. So, it’s really wonderful .... Tey take us on tours of government facilities that do cybersecurity. So, we’ve definitely been in close contact, and we know how it works. So, it’s very beneficial to get to know that you can do that.”
ROOM FOR ONE MORE
Nicholas Steward, far right, TSMO red team lead and Pathfinder Program mentor, joins the Pathfinder students for dinner in Huntsville. (Photo courtesy of Nicholas Steward, PEO STRI Threat Systems Management Office)
Nolan is enrolled in the CySP element of the program and expects to graduate in May 2024. Following graduation, she will have the opportunity to begin her federal career within the Army civilian workforce to support the PEO STRI TSMO. When asked about starting her new career, Nolan said, “I am very excited and look forward to all I can learn and experience!”
cybersecurity engineering. When asked what attracted her to the program, she said it was her excitement to learn and use cyber skills, meet new people, the oppor- tunities to get hands-on experience in real-world situations and to obtain certi- fications. “You’re going to learn so much,” Nolan said of the Pathfinder Program. “You’re going to get to meet people that have a wealth of knowledge and it'll be a good start to your career.”
Nolan began studying cybersecurity in college, but during her sophomore year she was uncertain about moving forward with the area of study. She mentioned she wasn’t sure if it was the path that she wanted to continue on, but after she enrolled in the Pathfinder Program through her univer- sity, she said, “It was what definitely solidified in my mind that cybersecurity
56 Army AL&T Magazine Fall 2023
was what I was wanting to do with my career.”
Trough the Pathfinder Program, Nolan can work on obtaining the certifications she needs to help with her future career goals. “It’s very hard to get all of the certi- fications that you need to be able to be
In December 2021, Joshua Gibbons graduated from the Pathfinder Program. Gibbons is a graduate of Mississippi State University, where he completed an M.S. in cyber operations and a B.S. in computer science. After finishing his B.S., Gibbons wanted to complete his master’s degree but wasn’t sure what he wanted to specialize in. After studying computer science he
“The goal for the Pathfinder Program is to grow the next generations of federal government professionals.”
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