Name: Michelle Ayaim
Date: June 10,2025
Organization: NIWC Atlantic

My time as an intern at NIWC Atlantic has been amazing so far. Learning new things, gaining
practical experience, and recognizing how much there is to know about cybersecurity have all been part of it. In retrospect, I can say that the last week and a half has been both thrilling and educational.

I spent the very first portion of the time here doing course work online. With some, such
as the DoD Cyber Workforce Framework (DCWF) Database Administrator (DBA) course, were
lengthy, others were brief and direct. I found this course particularly interesting since it gave mean entirely fresh viewpoint on databases. Also, I received my first thorough study of SQL, a topic. I had heard about but had never truly looked into. After completing several sessions, I started to understand why SQL is an important tool for information management and organization.

This week, I had the opportunity to work with some hardware in alongside the software. I
got to move data and learn about how everything links while working with hard disk servers and hard drives. I initially believed that this would be easy, but I quickly realized that there was more involved than simply plugging things in. I gained a better understanding of how things functioned through trial and error.

I was able to learn more about how things worked thanks to trial and error. The
importance of accuracy was among the most important lessons I took away. Every little detail counts when it comes to hardware. I had to use critical thinking and troubleshooting skills because even one missed step or improper connection may result in unanticipated failures. Even though they were annoying at times, these difficulties improved my ability to solve problems and taught me how important patience is while using technology.

Beyond just connecting and transmitting data, I learnt how multiple storage components interact within a broader system. Seeing how hardware and software operate together helped me understand the intricate details of cybersecurity. It isn’t simply about code or network security. It’s also important to understand the actual infrastructure that supports everything.

The daily use of XSL was one of the things that caught me off guard. I knew how to use it prior to my internship, but I was unaware of how common it is in the Navy’s IT field. I can understand why it’s one of the most popular document formats now that I’ve dealt with it more. It turns out that XSL is equally important as other Microsoft applications like PowerPoint, as a result I wish that more schools would use it more during coursework. I find myself using it more and more every day, and I’m picking up minor tips to make my job simpler.

I’ve learned a lot, figured things out as I go, and picked up new skills throughout my time at NIWC Atlantic. I’ve learned how much there is to learn about cybersecurity over the last week and a half, and I can’t wait to learn more.