Building Skills and Confidence Through a New, On-campus Cybersecurity Internship
Building Skills and Confidence Through a New, On-campus Cybersecurity Internship
Publish Date: 2026-02-13 15:44:00
Source Domain: www.odu.edu
By Kelsey Kendall
Old Dominion University students are not waiting until graduation to do real cybersecurity work. Through a new pilot internship program, Monarchs are gaining hands-on experience protecting University systems, learning industry tools and building confidence that many professionals do not develop until years into their careers.
Launched in Fall 2025, the cybersecurity internship places Monarch students inside the University’s security operations center, where they train, alongside professional analysts, and respond to real alerts. The first cohort includes seven juniors and seniors in the cybersecurity program who began training at the beginning of the academic year and have reached a point where they can take on work more independently with a supportive network to help when they need it.
Supervising the interns is Luke Watson, deputy chief information security officer in the Division of Digital Transformation and Technology, who said he wanted this to be an opportunity he would have jumped at when he was at these students’stage.
“We’re in a position where we can provide this opportunity and help these students acquire real-world skills,” Watson said. “They can leave Old Dominion University having real IT security knowledge, which many don’t get until three or five years into their careers.”
Aiden West, a senior in cybersecurity with a minor in information technology from Yorktown, Virginia, said working in the University’s Security Operations Center gives him and others in his cohort valuable experience to include on their resumes that will help them land interviews.
“This kind of opportunity is once in a lifetime,” Aiden said. “Experience is necessary in the cybersecurity industry if you’re trying to get a job.”
Because of this, cybersecurity students are required to complete internships, which ties directly into Old Dominion University’s 2023-2028 Strategic Plan, “Forward-Focused: Where Innovation…
