Elective Experience: Cybersecurity Living Learning Community

Cybersecurity is a constantly evolving field that requires continuous learning and collaboration. Beyond formal coursework, being immersed in an environment with peers who share similar interests helps reinforce technical concepts, encourages curiosity, and builds communication skills that are essential in professional cybersecurity roles.

During my freshman year, I participated in the Cybersecurity Living Learning Community, where I lived alongside other students pursuing similar academic and career interests. The goal of this community was to support both academic success and professional development through shared experiences.

Through this experience, I:

• Engaged with peers on cybersecurity and technology-related topics
• Collaborated on coursework and explored concepts outside of class
• Participated in community activities that encouraged academic and professional growth

This experience helped me build confidence in discussing technical topics and strengthened my sense of belonging within the cybersecurity field. Being surrounded by peers with similar goals encouraged collaboration and made learning more engaging and consistent.

One challenge was stepping outside of my comfort zone in a new environment, but doing so improved my communication skills and ability to contribute in group settings.

Overall, this experience reinforced the importance of collaboration and continuous learning—both of which are essential in cybersecurity careers where teamwork and knowledge-sharing are critical.

Work Samples

Johnson-Johnson-Cybersecurity

The presentation above was done with my LLC roommate for our LLC-Specific University Orientation class. We explored how cybersecurity shows up across industries and subsequently, the world.

Our Cybersecurity LLC went to CyberOps 2024 to get more integrated with the cybersecurity community at Old Dominion University and local industries.