Guam son gets cybersecurity internship

Cybersecurity has been a hot topic for quite some time and the subject is only getting hotter. With the rise of security concerns in the cyber world, the need for the next generation of cyber security experts is in high demand.

Lucand Camacho of Guam was one of the few selected nationally to attend the Army Cyber Institute Internship this summer, from July 15 to Aug. 11, at the West Point Military Academy in New York.

According to the ACI website, “The summer internship program is an eight-week course designed to provide interns with real world experience in futuristic cyber research at it relates to the security of the nation. Interns will be assigned to different research teams supporting a variety of cyber-related projects from policy development to hands on technical development. The interns will be exposed to the entire research cycle, from idea development to briefing a product, and how each piece of a research project integrates with a larger effort.”

Lucand Camacho

Camacho credits the University of Guam’s Reserve Officers Training Corps program for exposing him to what he describes as a once-in-a-lifetime experience at the Army Cyber Institute at West Point military academy.

The selection process for this internship requires majors of precedence in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering or technical studies within the cyber field. Army requirements such as physical fitness and leadership capabilities help boost selection points. All other applicants were considered who have a strong technical background in information technology.

Camacho is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Computer Information Systems at the University of Guam, which is a hybrid of computer science, business, and logical and statistical mathematics.

As the only applicant from UOG, he was compared against all other applicants from various ROTC universities and all civilian participants interested. “What gave me the edge as a candidate was my networking foundation as a former Army signal soldier and all civilian certifications by Cisco and the Electronics Technicians Association that I obtained at the Guam Community College,” said Camacho.

According to him, he pursued this internship to further build his background and hopefully commission into the Army’s most recent and competitive branch of cybersecurity.

Lucand is the son of Francisco and Eloise Camacho of Dededo. (PR)