Photo above: Clockwise – Cadets Annabelle Miller, Khalil Al-Nakhala, Nathanael Ling, Nathanael King and Noah Wells.

There are five new cadets studying this fall at The Citadel with CyberCorps Scholarships for Service support.

They are:

• Khalil Al-Nakhala
  Hometown: Hingham, Massachusetts
  Areas of study: Intelligence and Security Studies with Cybersecurity minor
• Nathanael King
  Hometown: Columbia, South Carolina
  Areas of study: Computer Science and Cyber Operations double-major
• Nathanael Ling
  Hometown: Mebane, North Carolina
  Areas of study: Computer Science and Cyber Operations double-major
• Annabelle Miller
  Hometown: Wilmington, Delaware
  Areas of study: Intelligence and Security Studies major with Cybersecurity minor
• Noah Wells
  Hometown: Columbia, South Carolina
  Areas of study: Computer Science, Mathematics and Cyber Operations triple-major

The program is designed to recruit and train cybersecurity professionals to meet the needs of federal, state, local and tribal government organizations. It provides scholarships for undergraduate students who will pursue employment with a government entity after graduation.

Members of the first cohort of cadets initially selected for the kick off of the program in 2020, Andrew Lindenmeyer, Shiloh Smiles, Philip Quinn and Ashley Ruiz will graduate in 2022 or 2023, and are already working with cybersecurity professionals through internships and mentorships. Lidenmeyer, for example, is a Computer Science and Cyber Operations double-major who has already interned with the National Security Agency and the Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Atlantic, where he will work fulltime after graduating in 2023 while pursing a master’s degree, which he expects to complete in one year. Ruiz, an Honors Program student majoring in Intelligence and Security Studies and Political Science with a minor in Cybersecurity, has completed internships with the U.S. Department of Defense, the Department of State and the National Security Agency.

The Citadel was awarded a $2.8 million National Science Foundation (NSF) grant in 2020 to create South Carolina’s first CyberCorps Scholarships for Service program.

Summary of cybersecurity programs, scholarships, designations and events at The Citadel

Department of Defense Cyber Scholarship (DoD CySP)
These scholarships, supported through the Department of Defense, are designed to encourage the recruitment of the nation’s top cyber talent to help secure America against threats. Currently The Citadel has seven DoD CySP Scholars (six Cadets and one graduate student).

The Citadel Department of Defense Cyber Institute (CDCI)
The CDCI mission is to ensure the delivery of principled leaders who are experts in cybersecurity and have the skillset and experience required to begin working for the U.S. Department of Defense as soon as they earn their degrees.

The Citadel CyberCorps Scholarships for Service program
See the article above or read more about the program here.

Cybersecurity/Intelligence Scholars
An innovative program for gifted students who have a strong interest in cybersecurity and national security affairs.

National Center of Excellence in Cyber Defense
The Citadel was recently re-designated a National Center of Excellence in Cyber Defense through 2028 by the Department of Defense and the National Security Agency,

Women in Cybersecurity (WiCyS) Citadel chapter
There is a new Citadel chapter of the national WiCyS organization. Recently, travel grants were provided for 10 cadets and students to travel to the national conference.

Degrees in cybersecurity and operations
One of the colleges most popular undergraduate majors is Cyber Operations. Graduates will be able to:

1. Apply security principles and practices to the design and implementation of the physical, software and human component of the cyber systems
2. Analyze and evaluate cyber systems with respect to security
3. Identify, analyze and mitigate threats in the cyber system

Other related academic programs, including a master’s degree and graduate level certificate can be viewed here.