Hicks helps lead UNCP’s first cybersecurity graduates – Robesonian
Hicks helps lead UNCP’s first cybersecurity graduates – Robesonian
https://www.robesonian.com/news/338612/hicks-helps-lead-uncps-first-cybersecurity-graduates
Publish Date: 2026-03-21 11:00:00
Source Domain: www.robesonian.com
PEMBROKE — When Phillip Hicks arrived at UNC Pembroke as a freshman, the university’s cybersecurity program was still in its trial phase. This May, the Red Springs native will help make history as one of the first graduates of UNCP’s standalone Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity program.
For Hicks, the journey to cyber sleuthing didn’t begin with computers — it started in farm fields and hardware stores.
“Until my senior year of high school, I was set on becoming an agriculture education major,” Hicks said. “I was president of FFA. I grew up working hands-on — farming, ag mechanics, helping at the hardware store.”
His father, Chris Hicks, a 1996 UNCP graduate, instilled in him the value of hard work. His late grandfather, Talmadge Evers, worked for Lumbee River Electric Cooperative (LREMC). Farming, mechanics and service were part of daily life. But during Hicks’ senior year of high school, a cybersecurity incident targeting LREMC changed everything.
“It hit close to home,” he said. “Someone was posing as a customer trying to gain access to account information. It made me realize how vulnerable systems can be — especially locally.”
After touring UNCP’s campus and seeing the new cyber lab, his focus shifted.
“That was a polarizing moment,” he said. “I saw everything UNCP had to offer, and it just clicked.”
UNCP launched its standalone cybersecurity degree in fall 2022 to meet the growing demand for trained professionals. While cybersecurity tracks previously existed within other IT programs, this marked the university’s first dedicated degree in the field.
“When I came here, the program was going through its first run with our class,” Hicks said. “I looked at the electives — digital forensics, cryptography — and it pretty much described the career I wanted.”
Self-taught in many ways, Hicks supplemented his coursework by devouring YouTube tutorials and leaning on tech-savvy family members.
“I’ve always…
