Published 09/01/2025
The Commonwealth Cyber Initiative Central Virginia Node (CVN) is proud to introduce the CVN 2025 Intern Impact series, a spotlight on the students whose summer internships are shaping the future of cybersecurity across Virginia. Each article will feature CVN-sponsored interns, the organizations they worked with, and the impact they made in the field.
Our first story highlights Virginia Commonwealth University’s Technology Services, a team dedicated to safeguarding the university’s digital environment, through the work of interns Rebecca Browder and Jihad Turner.
Powering VCU’s Cybersecurity Backbone
VCU Technology Services is responsible for ensuring that the university’s IT infrastructure is not only reliable but also secure. From governance and compliance to threat detection and cloud operations, the division’s Information Security team tackles the challenges of protecting data across a large public institution. This summer, two interns joined their efforts to take on real-world security projects.
Rebecca Browder: Turning Risk Management Into Real-World Impact
As a senior Computer Science major at VCU, Rebecca took on the role of Governance, Risk, and Compliance Intern. Her work involved integrating data into the GRC platform, building a risk register, and aligning policies with the NIST SP 800 framework.
Rebecca shared:
“So far, I’ve gained an understanding of the GRC platform and its key features, as well as insight into third-party risk management and vendor evaluations. The internship has given me the chance to apply my coding experience in a real-world setting while also gaining exposure to the informational and strategic side of cybersecurity.”
Her biggest contribution? Developing an application that automated the loading and tracking of third-party risk assessments, streamlining workflows for the IT risk management team.
Jihad Turner: Building Cloud Security Solutions That Learn
For Jihad, a senior Computer Science major at Virginia State University, the internship was a chance to dive into Security Architecture & Operations Management Intern. Over ten weeks, he collaborated with the Information Security team on cloud infrastructure, vulnerability management, and security operations.One highlight was helping develop a Model Control Protocol (MCP) server, which allowed AI models to interact with systems like VCU’s Security Information and Event Management (SIEM).
“Although I faced challenges working within the cloud due to my limited knowledge at first, I enjoyed the process of researching, troubleshooting, and learning from the experience. That’s one of the best parts about cybersecurity, developing the skills to solve problems and mitigate issues using open-source resources.”
Jihad’s most impressive achievement was connecting VCU’s cloud vulnerability system to an MCP server and LLM, enabling natural language queries of vulnerability data, a project that sparked excitement across the team.
Supervisor’s Take: “Maturity, Professionalism, and Results”
Dan Han, Chief Information Security Officer for VCU Technology Services, praised both interns for their enthusiasm and ability to work independently:
“Rebecca worked on vendor risk management automation and policy evaluation, while Jihad supported vulnerability management and security operations with both traditional and cutting-edge technologies. They demonstrated maturity, eagerness to learn, and the ability to deliver actionable results.”
Han also highlighted the broader impact of the CVN program:
“For students, this internship provides invaluable real-world experience and exposure to the dynamics of cybersecurity operations in a large organization. For us, it provides talented and vetted individuals who help move our projects forward in meaningful ways.”
Driving Workforce Development in Cybersecurity
Rebecca and Jihad’s experiences show the power of internships to bridge academic learning and professional practice. Their contributions strengthened VCU Technology Services’ cybersecurity efforts while giving them the confidence, skills, and connections to launch into their future careers.
This is exactly what CVN’s mission is all about, serving as an engine for workforce development across Virginia by preparing the next generation of cyber professionals.
Watch Their Stories
Learn more about Rebecca and Jihad’s summer internships in their own words:
