Capitol Tech cyber transfer scholars making a difference – even before graduation

She’s only 21, but Andrea Doucette is already making her mark.

The New Jersey native, who is completing her bachelor’s degree at Capitol Tech, has started her own company, Kids on the Blockchain. Its goal: educating young people about blockchain, cryptocurrency, and cybersecurity.

 “My goal with Kids on the Blockchain is to bring knowledge, tools, and resources not only to kids in America but worldwide. We’re aiming to organize hackathons around the world,” she says.

She is also a change-maker on social media: as Cryptogal on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube, Doucette helps promote awareness about blockchain among her thousands of followers.

A self-described “entrepreneurial type," she blends business acumen with an affinity for tech that began at an early age – nurtured, in part, by difficult circumstances.

“I’ve always been fascinated by technology, ever since I was very young,” she says, “Growing up, my family didn't have a lot of income. My mom couldn’t afford WiFi, so I was left to learn about the surrounding WiFis around my house, which got me intrigued by passwords and security.”

Deciding to channel her tech savvy into a career, Doucette first enrolled at County College of Morris, and then transferred to Capitol Tech through the university’s  cyber transfers scholarship program, which covered all of her tuition costs. “As someone who comes from a low-income family, it’s been difficult to find the money for college, so this program is perfectly aligned with my goals and visions,” she says.

Doucette is among eleven community college students who were admitted into the cyber transfers program for 2018-19, enabling them to complete their bachelor’s degrees online, without leaving home.  The program has drawn students from around the country.

 Dr. William Butler, chair of the cybersecurity program at Capitol, says he’s impressed by the drive, creative thinking, and technical knowhow of students like Doucette. “In general, we’ve been attracting students who are of a very high caliber in terms of their goals and their interest in the field,” Butler says, “These are students who are poised to make a difference.”

Savannah Belle Beach is also a member of the cyber transfers cohort for 2018-19, and she too has already found ways to advance the field. Attending Volunteer State Community College in Tennessee, she became the school’s first traditional female student to complete a degree in cyber defense.

Now, as she continues her academic path by working towards a bachelor’s from Capitol Tech, she has her sights set on applying her cybersecurity skills to the health care sector. With hospitals, clinics, and doctor’s offices increasingly internet-reliant, the sector is grappling with a host of security challenges – including ransomware attacks that can compromise patient data or even shut down operations altogether. Beach hopes to help protect against such threats.

As a Capitol Tech transfer, Beach appreciates the faculty’s student-centered approach as well as their expertise.

“All of the professors are really there to help you – they’re providing a quality online learning environment and they are all so qualified, so knowledgeable,” she says. “You can come to them with any problem, even if it’s something outside of the class,” she says.

Doucette, meanwhile, says the level of depth in Capitol Tech’s curriculum is what impresses her the most.

“I was so excited on my first day of my honors computer class because we jumped right into blockchain, and I had no idea we were even going to be discussing blockchain technology in that class. That really got me excited,” she says. “Overall the classes I’m taking go in depth into cybersecurity topics more extensively than anything I’d experienced prior to Capitol Tech.”

CYBER TRANSFER SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM 2018-19

Savannah Beach (Volunteer State CC) TN
Keith Blevins (Coastal Carolina CC) NC
Benjamin Christe (Delta College) MI
Garland Coleman (Anne Arundel CC) MD
Andrea Doucette (County College of Morris) NJ
Jaylan Garrick    (Howard CC) MD
Steven Persinger (Delta College) MI
Elena Roemish  (SUNY) NY
Brian Seligson (County College of Morris) NJ
Zachary Shea (Volunteer State CC) TN
Walker Siegmund (Delta College) MI