Happy Wednesday, Hounds! On this week of Highlighting Hounds, we are congratulating Nate Kincheloe ’25, Cybersecurity major and Management minor, on his recent acceptance as the Security Auditor intern at Systems Integration Inc. in Rocky Hill, CT! This summer, Nate is excited to gain hands-on experience in the cybersecurity field. Read the blog below to learn more about Nate’s upcoming internship.
What will a typical day as a Security Auditor intern look like for you?
I have not begun my position yet, but my day-to-day will include client search and partner sit-downs to build relationships with small to mid-size businesses solving all needs in IT. The second half of the day will include Nessus vulnerability scanning, writing contracts for new partners, and assisting any current partners with IT needs.
What are your career goals? How will this internship help you reach those goals?
I will complete my bachelor’s in science in December 2024, to pursue my early career track in the IT world. In these upcoming seasons of my career, I will hope to turn my experience in security audits, IT consulting, contracting cloud-based architecture, and network engineering into an organization I oversee as founder and CEO. This summer, my internship will help me attain experience, becoming a specialist in security for private sector companies. Most importantly I hope to learn from my partners; good men and women who are professionals in what they do, and help guide me toward a successful career after my internship at Systems Integration, Inc.
Why did you apply to this internship? What aspects of the position/company interested you?
A mentor and good friend from my church family recommended that I look to reach out to the IT vendor of his company, Savage Arms, which happened to be Systems Integration, Inc. I was attracted to the small size of the company. Nonetheless, having the ability to interview with the CEO showcased the smaller size I was looking for, but also helped me know that I am not a security number in the company, but a person who can contribute to the team in big ways.
How has your Assumption education prepared you for this internship?
My professors in Cybersecurity, Dr. Albert and Dr. Snow, treated me with the utmost respect, which pushed me beyond my limits to succeed in their courses. I also have collaborated and performed live labs to practice computer and network engineering for 100+ hours. The labs were the emphasis of the course, training me to be my own engineer. The courses taught me to apply information, rather than regurgitate information.
What skills are you hoping to strengthen during this internship?
I will work directly with the cybersecurity team at Systems Integration every day, so I hope to improve my ability to work in a team. Nothing else is more important than using your strengths to also show your value in the team, but level up the value of the other members of your team. Computer skills are so necessary for the fact that this work is not for everyone; you must be good at what you do.
What advice would you give to a student who wants to participate in an internship?
The students must be curious about their interests first, and secondly, students must embrace the process. Sometimes, you will receive 100 no’s before you get your first offer. One day, one conversation, one phone call, one interview at a time. Every person next to you wants an internship, so if you truly desire this path there is no need to be anyone but yourself. Get the 500+ connections on LinkedIn, message business pros who attended Assumption, and lastly attend conferences and alumni engagement events. You can achieve your internship goals through a plan like this.
If you are interested in sharing your experiential learning opportunities, please email us at careerdevelopment@assumption.edu!
