MEDIA, Pa.— Over the summer, William Collison looked for internship opportunities at large companies. When he was met with no response, Collison turned his focus to his hometown and secured an internship at his local government office as a cybersecurity intern. Instead of being deterred by rejection, Collison used it as fuel to persist.
Collison is a fourth-year cybersecurity major, a member of the men’s baseball team and a part-time employee at Penn State Brandywine’s information technology (IT) department. Originally from Queen Anne’s County, Maryland, Collison said he decided to come to Brandywine to continue playing baseball while furthering his education.
His passion for technology started when he was very young, he said.
“My parents started a managed service provider company in 2007, which basically means they serve as IT support for over 20 clients. Because of this, I have grown up around the IT world, and I have been an employee of the company since I graduated high school in 2023,” he said.
Collison carried this passion for technology over to his summer internship for Queen Anne’s County (QAC) government. In his role, he said, he began his day by checking Microsoft 365 logs, working on large projects and sitting in on sales calls with his boss, offering his input when necessary.
“I learned a lot of meaningful things during my time at QAC. I learned about inventory management and auditing, how to script in Bash, what to look for in logs data, how to properly write a security policy, and most importantly, to think like a security professional,” he said.
Colinson’s coursework prepared him on security concepts, networking skills, and the governance aspect of cybersecurity. IST 220: Introduction to Networking allowed Collinson to gain a certificate in Network+, which is a field in IT he previously struggled to grasp, he said. He also noted that security and risk analysis (SRA) classes with Earl Catagnus, assistant teaching professor of information sciences and technology, taught him how to think like a security professional.
“My advice to students looking for internships in cybersecurity is to get your certifications, make labs (like a home lab), and don't be afraid of getting rejected,” he said.
At first, Collison said, he thought he would be seen as “just an intern,” but he soon realized that people genuinely wanted to hear his perspective, and that being a student didn't make his voice any less valuable.
After graduating, Collison said he plans to use his cybersecurity degree, and IT experience, to find a job with a government contractor, so he can get a security clearance to work in the federal sector of cybersecurity.