Capitol students make the cut for career-launching scholarships

Four Capitol Technology University students have been selected for the National Security Scholarship Program, a prestigious opportunity to build experience in the field while seeing the cost of college significantly reduced.

Students chosen for the program receive scholarship funds, paid internships and the possibility of future employment with participating companies and organizations. The program has been described as a “career-launcher” that positions awardees for full-time employment in the security field upon graduation.

Vincent Galletto, Joshua Gidding, Sophia LoSchiavo, and Malcolm Rhett each received between $6,500 and $10,000 in scholarship funds and paid summer internships at Mantech (Gidding, Rhett) and Raytheon (Galletto, LoSchiavo).

 “Capitol is honored to have four selectees this year,” said the chair of the university’s cybersecurity program, Dr. William Butler. “Applicants go through a stringent selection process, and to be chosen for the award is a major achievement indeed. NSSP recipients are the best of the best.”

“The NSSP is a unique program in that students get to intern at top contractors for the federal government, working side by side with cybersecurity professionals, learning the trade, and gaining experience with the profession,” Butler explained. “This launches their careers. Students who have been awarded these scholarships in the past have gone to work for companies like Booz Allen Hamilton, Lockheed, and Leidos, as well as the National Security Agency.”

Capitol’s president, Dr. Bradford Sims, said the NSSP selections "demonstrate the caliber of Capitol students and show that the university is helping to meet the demand for professionals in technology fields."

 “This scholarship award to the Capitol Technology University’s students represents strong confirmation from industry that Capitol is providing needed career-focused education,” Sims said.

Sophia LoSchiavo, one of the four NSSP awardees from Capitol, said the program provides an opportunity to contribute to the security of the United States, as well as assisting in personal career goals.

“I am thrilled and honored to have been selected for the NSSP,” she said.  I have no doubt this internship will open a multitude of opportunities in my future. It pleases me to be able to contribute to the well-being of my country and I look forward to taking that step this month.”

LoSchiavo, a junior in the astronautical engineering program, is a transfer student who came to Capitol after first attending a university in Pennsylvania.

“I feel that transferring to Capitol and applying to the NSSP are the best decisions I could have made to launch my career,” LoSchiavo said.

Now entering its 19th year, the NSSP is sponsored by the Independent College Fund of Maryland (I-Fund), a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the mission of Maryland’s independent colleges and universities by securing financial aid and internship experiences for students. The NSSP is open to students attending one of the twelve I-Fund member institutions, including Capitol.

To date, the NSSP has awarded $3.4 million in scholarships to more than 300 students attending an I-Fund member college or university. Through the NSSP, the I-Fund aids in the critical and increasing need for qualified, security-cleared agents to support the intelligence and defense industry in Maryland and the nation.

Interested in applying for the NSSP? A meeting for students interested in applying for next year’s program will be held on September 6 on the Capitol campus.from 1-2pm. For more details, contact the office of Career Services at careers@captechu.edu