Computer & Digital Forensics Major

I realized that [Digital Forensics] was what I've always wanted to do, I just didn't know it was an actual profession—as far as I knew, it was what detectives did. When it came time for the application process I emailed the Senior Analyzer for Digital Forensics at DirectTV and I asked him which school he recommended for Digital Forensics and he essentially told me that if I was really serious about the major to go to Champlain College. The interns he's had in the past from Champlain have by far been the best. It was sort of a no-brainer. Go to Champlain College because it has a good reputation in the industry. 

The thing I love about the Leahy Center is that it's an actual world-class laboratory that allows students to do ground-breaking research their first year there. Although they [classes and the Leahy Center] both teach real-world things, at the LCDI there's real-world consequences. In class if I do something wrong I can just start over but at the LCDI if I'm doing research and I mess something up, I have to start over the project because the evidence I had has been tampered with and it won't be proper to analyze.

I was a security engineer at a small company called Boingo Wireless and what they do is that they distribute wifi for major venues like airports and military bases. When I got there, within the first week I was actually confronted by the director and he said, "Hey, I don't know if you don't feel comfortable or not, but always feel comfortable to ask questions during meetings," because during the first week I essentially attended every meeting that they had. He was surprised when I told him, I actually understood everything—that was the reason I wasn't asking any questions.

Towards the end of the internship they were trying to get me to get Champlain grads to work at Boingo because of the fact that they saw me as a sophomore and how experienced I'd been.