For Mississippi State University cybersecurity and operations graduate student Gavin Seiler, it’s all about giving back to the community around him.

Seiler fell in love with the fast-paced field during high school, and now as a master’s student he’s committed to making the world safer and more secure in the future.

“There’s something new in the field every day,” Seiler said. “It’s a service I’m proud to be a part of. You’re giving back to the community and your country, and at the end of the day, you’re protecting people.”

Seiler’s journey at Mississippi State began as an undergraduate, where his passion for cybersecurity only grew. That passion led him to work at the centers for cyber innovation and cyber education under MSU’s High Performance Computing Collaboratory, a world-class research center known for tackling some of today’s most complex scientific and engineering challenges through advanced computational methods. Seiler has worked in research involving cybersecurity assessment tools and attended the National Cyber Summit in Huntsville, Alabama. He also has had the opportunity to teach and develop training sessions, a skill he said is invaluable for his future career.

“Being part of the HPC2 has been an incredible opportunity,” Seiler said. “From the moment I started working there after my freshman year, it opened so many doors for me.”

In addition to his work at the HPC2, this past summer Seiler was selected for a prestigious role as a VICEROY ENVOY intern at the Griffiss Institute in Rome, New York, a nonprofit talent and technology accelerator for the Department of Defense. The VICEROY ENVOY program allows students to work on real-world national security challenges and gain practical experience in areas like cybersecurity, machine learning and data analytics.

“Griffiss funds the VICEROY program, which is a scholarship program that gives opportunities for cybersecurity certifications and internships with the goal of increasing the Department of Defense cyber workforce,” Seiler said. “We have a VICEROY program in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering on campus.”

During his 10-week internship at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Seiler served as a subject matter expert, building cybersecurity curriculum for the U.S. Air Force, an experience Seiler said he was proud to take part in.

“It’s rewarding to know that my work has a direct connection to national security. Every single cyber operator for the Air Force has to go through Keesler Air Force Base for their initial technical training,” he said. “I was developing a curriculum for the roughly 4,000 people who will go through the base annually.”

Seiler said his internship allowed him to apply what he had learned at MSU to real-world challenges. Looking ahead, he plans to continue to work in national security, and he’s eager to use the invaluable skills he has developed at MSU and help make the world more secure.

“Mississippi State has prepared me for my future in every way possible,” he said. “From the mentorship I’ve received to the technical knowledge I’ve learned, I feel prepared to take the next step in my career.”