ARMY AL&T
had an interest in cybersecurity, although he had not taken any classes, nor did he have any experience. After speaking with the head of the cybersecurity program at Mississippi State, he was informed about the Pathfinder Scholarship Program. He applied, was accepted, and once he was engaged in the program, he knew that supporting the Army Acquisition Workforce in cybersecu- rity is what he wanted to do.
“Te Pathfinder program gave me actual hands-on practical appli- cation of what I was learning. So, I really gained a lot from that,” Gibbons said during his internship. “I was able to make connec- tions with people that I’m actually working with now.”
When asked if he would recommend the program to other students, he said, “Absolutely. I’ve talked to other people that are [studying] cyber at other universities and the common issue right now is that it’s not as hands on as it needs to be. So, there’s a lot of on-the-job training that has to happen. So I would abso- lutely highly recommend that program to students because they can start developing some of those practical skills to go with their academic training as well.”
After completing the Pathfinder Program, Gibbons began his federal career as part of the Army civilian workforce. He now has one year of government service working with PEO STRI TSMO as an intelligence specialist.
FUTURE EXPANSION Currently, there are 86 interns spanning across the 25 universities participating in the Pathfinder Program. Of those 25 universi- ties, five are Historically Black Colleges and Universities and four are Hispanic Service Institutes. Research has shown that work- place diversity improves employee engagement and retention, increases creativity, and leads to quicker problem-solving and better decision-making. Te Pathfinder Program will be capable of recruiting skilled individuals with fresh and innovative ideas because it engages with a diverse group of students. Addition- ally, included in the total number of Pathfinder interns, three are military service members enrolled in the SkillBridge portion of the program, providing these service members a pathway from active duty into the civilian workforce through training, appren- ticeships and work experience.
When asked what he would like to see out of Pathfinder in the future, Steward said, “I would like to see the program grow and integrate with more agencies.” And it has. Since its inception, driven by a congressional mandate and funding provided in the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, the program is
https://asc.ar my.mil 57
quickly expanding across government agencies with aspirations to add blue team education and certifications for future students, incorporate additional computer and software testing, increase diversity and offer experience to support in-demand and hard- to-fill positions.
CONCLUSION With the Pathfinder Program continuing to grow, so will the Army’s pool of cybersecurity talent.
“Te most rewarding part of the program is watching the advance- ments made by the students,” Steward said. “From first meeting with students engaged in projects or internships, to watching their growth and development through the skills they learned, and finally, hearing about them getting a job after graduation and how the program assisted them to achieve their goals. Tat’s the best part.”
As the threat of cyberattacks increases, so does the need to fight against them. Not only do we need to continue to stay vigilant, but we need to stay ahead of the threat. Tese future experts will not only protect current national security systems, but future ones as well.
For more information, contact Intelligence Specialist and Pathfinder Lead Nicholas Steward at
Nicholas.Steward2.civ@
army.mil. For information about SkillBridge, go to
https://skillbridge.osd.mil.
REBECCA WRIGHT is a writer and editor with Army AL&T magazine at the U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. She has over 14 years of experience writing and editing for the Department of Defense and the Department of Justice.
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