Students receive record 4 DoD cyber scholarships

In exchange, students agree to work one year in a civilian cyber position in the DoD after graduation for each year that they receive the scholarship. The students' names are withheld due to the security clearances required for their job placements within the DoD.

"The DoD Cyber Service Academy is a life-changing scholarship opportunity for the very best cybersecurity and computer science juniors, seniors and graduate students who are interested in beginning their career as a cyber professional working for the Department of Defense," Payne, principal investigator for the grant, said. "The funding under this program allows students to focus their time and energy on cyber competitions, research and coursework, developing competencies that make them work-ready for the DoD upon graduation. These impressive students are answering the call of President Shannon's national security strategic big bet, and they're ready to serve at the highest levels of national security."

Dr. Tamirat Abegaz, associate professor of cybersecurity, and Dr. Victoria Hightower, associate director of Nationally Competitive Scholarships, assisted Payne on the grant.

• One student, a senior from McDonough, Georgia, pursuing a bachelor's degree in cybersecurity, plans to intern at Marine Forces Cyberspace Command (MARFORCYBER) for his second time in summer 2026 and begin his Master of Science in computer science at UNG in fall 2026, fully paid for by the DoD CSA. He already holds a top-secret TS/SCI clearance and plans to work for MARFORCYBER after he completes his master's degree in August 2027.
• One new student, a junior from Rome, Georgia, graduated high school in May 2025 and is in his first semester at UNG's Dahlonega Campus after completing more than 60 hours of dual enrollment and Advanced Placement credit during high school. He participated in CyberStart America, under a high school outreach program led by the Institute for Cyber Operations and UNG's College of Education. This student already holds multiple cyber industry certifications. He plans to work for the National Security Agency (NSA) as an intern in summer 2026, then as a full-time employee after graduation.
• One student is a junior from Lawrenceville, Georgia, who participated in multiple DoD Senior Military College Cyber Institutes Cyber Summer Immersion (CSI) programs in summer 2025, studying car and drone Hacking at The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina, and information warfare and electromagnetic spectrum operations at Norwich University in Vermont, funded by UNG's Institute for Cyber Operations. Payne led the car hacking and deepfakes modules of the CSIs in partnership with peers from Norwich and The Citadel. The student plans to graduate in May 2027 and begin his doctorate at Rochester Institute of Technology before joining MARFORCYBER full time.
• Another student is a senior from Rome, Georgia, pursuing bachelor's degrees in computer science and cybersecurity. He interned last summer with the NSA and Naval Postgraduate School's Monterey Phoenix behavioral modeling program, learning how to use advanced modeling systems to predict human behavior. He plans to complete his bachelor's degrees by May 2027, pursue his Ph.D. fully funded by the CSA scholarship, and go to work for the NSA after graduation.

These four students are also active team members on the UNG Cyber Unit, Red Team, Blue Team, and the UNG CyberHawks competition team, currently No. 3 in the nation in Division 1 of the NSA Codebreaker Challenge, with less than two months remaining in the competition.

The DoD CSA online application for fall 2026 is delayed due to the federal government shutdown, but the application is expected to open soon. For more information, and to apply, visit UNG's DoD CSA webpage.