Jennifer Kleman

Cyber Florida at USF’s Security Operations and Cybersecurity Apprenticeship Program (SOCAP) employs up to 10 students each semester, with opportunities for students to remain in the program for multiple terms. Through this innovative program, SOCAP interns gain hands-on experience addressing real cybersecurity issues for various clients, effectively extending the capabilities of client IT teams.

Managed by Ryan Irving and Duy Dao, SOCAP gives students valuable exposure to the day-to-day operations of a security operations center. Leveraging tools like Microsoft Defender, Crowdstrike, Stamus Networks, MS-ISAC Albert, Recorded Future, Magnet Forensics, Belkasoft Forensics, Volexity, and more, Irving assigns work tickets—real security alerts or issues—that need investigation. Each day, students select or are assigned tickets from the system, allowing them to work on current cybersecurity tasks and engage in practical problem-solving.

The University of South Florida (USF) Information Technology (IT) Department is among the clients benefiting significantly from SOCAP’s services. “The SOCAP partnership with USF IT is fantastic,” says Irving. “Students aren’t just performing real cybersecurity tasks; they’re actively improving the security of the university’s IT infrastructure while honing their skills in a real-world environment.”

In addition to ticket-based troubleshooting, SOCAP students take on proactive threat-hunting roles, scouring resources to detect potential indicators of compromise and preparing threat advisories for Cyber Florida’s threat room page on its website.

SOCAP students like Alessandro Lovadina, Erika Delvalle, and Ben Price bring diverse skills and interests, creating a collaborative team environment.

Lovadina is passionate about coding projects, like building web applications. “With AI, cybersecurity is crucial; all students should learn the basics of cybersecurity,” he notes.

Delvalle finds excitement in threat-hunting tickets. “It never gets boring,” she says. “You’re always learning something new.”

Price enjoys challenging issues that expand his research skills and expertise. “It’s fulfilling; it’s important,” he says.

SOCAP students have the freedom to conduct their own research and troubleshoot using open-source information and reliable online resources. The program’s hybrid format allows students to work both in-office and remotely, providing a dynamic environment that complements their class schedules. This flexibility gives SOCAP interns a comprehensive view of security operations and invaluable career experience.

Irving also incorporates regular training exercises in collaboration with the USF IT team. “Monthly simulated events allow students and staff to practice incident response skills together,” he says. “We invite USF IT to join these sessions, so that we can learn and improve our response capabilities as a team.”

Dennis Guillette, Director and Security Architect of USF IT, expressed his appreciation for SOCAP students’ contributions to the university’s cybersecurity efforts. “I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to the SOCAP students for their outstanding hard work and dedication. Their impressive technical knowledge and exceptional troubleshooting skills have been invaluable to our security posture. Their commitment to excellence and ability to tackle complex security challenges have significantly strengthened us. Thank you for setting a high standard of professionalism and expertise.”

Cyber Florida’s SOCAP internship program at USF continues to be a valuable resource for students and the university alike, advancing cybersecurity skills and bolstering the state’s defenses. It serves as a model for other schools.

Cyber Florida’s Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) Program Interns

At Cyber Florida, our mission extends beyond cybersecurity protection—we’re committed to developing the next generation of experts who will help safeguard our digital and physical infrastructure. In this post, we shine a spotlight on three talented interns who are making their mark: Amolika “Amy” Godse, Arpan Jaiswal, and Vikranth “Vikky” Dundra. These USF students are serving an instrumental role in helping to map trends across geographies and industries for our Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) program while pursuing master’s degrees.

Amolika “Amy” Godse: Turning Data into Stories

Amy, a second-year master’s student majoring in Business Analytics and Information Systems, is studying to become a data engineer. Her passion for technology and data-driven storytelling is what drives her aspirations. “I love the idea of turning raw data into stories that can help organizations make better decisions,” she shares. “I’m fascinated by technology and how it can solve real-world problems.”

Amy is making strides in her internship, working on a data collection project for Cyber Florida focused on critical infrastructure. “I’m learning how to gather data using Python, particularly through web scraping techniques,” she says. She’s also mastering popular libraries like Beautiful Soup and Scrapy, which allow her to extract valuable information from online sources. These hands-on experiences are equipping Amy with the skills needed to make an impact in the data engineering field, which she plans to pursue after her graduation in May 2025.

Amy enjoys experimenting in the kitchen and finds baking to be a therapeutic hobby. She’s also a fan of exploring new places and can be found relaxing with friends on the weekends.

Arpan Jaiswal: Driving Business Growth through Data

Arpan is also in his second year of the Business Analytics and Information Systems program, but his sights are set on becoming an SAP data analyst. “I aim to leverage my master’s program knowledge along with my past experience to help drive business growth,” says Arpan, who is eager to apply his skills in data analysis to business decision-making processes.

Through the CIP internship, Arpan is gaining firsthand experience in data collection and cleaning—crucial components of any data science project. “Given that 80% of a data science project involves data collection and cleaning, I am gaining valuable hands-on experience using Python libraries for web scraping and data cleaning,” he explains. These practical skills are giving him the tools to take on complex data challenges in the business world.

Arpan enjoys staying active, whether that’s hitting the gym or playing cricket. He is a member of the Tampa Bay Titans and competes in the Tampa Premier League and Tampa Cricket League.

Vikranth “Vikky” Dundra: Optimizing Performance through Data Analysis

Vikky, another second-year Business Analytics and Information Systems student, is on a mission to become a data analyst. His goal is to leverage data-driven insights to help organizations optimize their performance. “I aspire to work as a data analyst after graduation, utilizing data-driven insights and analytical tools to support decision-making processes,” says Vikky.

Vikky’s internship work aligns perfectly with his career goals. He is honing his skills in sophisticated data collection, web scraping, Python programming, and comprehensive data cleaning and analysis. By working on real-world projects, he’s developing the technical expertise needed to succeed in the fast-paced world of data analytics.

Vikky loves cooking, and often experiments in the kitchen. He’s also an avid cricket player, finding time to play the sport on weekends.

The Future of Data-Driven Cybersecurity

Cyber Florida’s CIP internship program is providing Amy, Arpan, and Vikky with invaluable real-world experience that will help shape their futures as data experts. Through their internships, they are gaining hands-on experience in skills that are essential in today’s data-driven world.

We can’t wait to see where their careers take them—and we’re proud to play a part in their journey.

On September 4, 2024, The White House issued the following statement:

Today, the White House Office of the National Cyber Director (ONCD), in partnership with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and Office of Personnel Management (OPM), is proud to announce Service for America, the Biden-Harris Administration’s recruiting, hiring, and engagement sprint aimed at preparing our country for a digitally enabled future by connecting Americans to good-paying, meaningful jobs in cyber.

The #ServiceForAmerica sprint is launched in support of the 2023 National Cyber Workforce and Education Strategy, a multi-pronged approach to expand the cyber workforce and education system to better prepare all Americans for jobs in cyber. The sprint will continue through Cybersecurity Awareness Month and highlight the importance of skills-based hiring and work-based learning opportunities to support expanding the cyber workforce in government and private industry.

Find out more about this launch on our blog and follow @ONCD on Twitter and LinkedIn for updates and amplification.