Fast Facts

• Class Year: Class of 2023
• Major: Security and Risk Analysis, Intelligence Analysis and Modeling Option
• Hometown: Westport, Connecticut
• Most memorable Penn State moment: Beating Michigan in the 2019 whiteout game.
• Favorite place to eat on or near campus: The HUB or Chipotle.
• What I do for fun: I love to watch and play ice hockey. I play in an adult league at Pegula Arena.
• Fun fact: Despite living in the Northeast all my life and playing ice hockey since I was seven years old, I am allergic to the cold. Yes, the temperature. I wish I were joking.

Meet Sam

Why did you enroll at IST?

Heading into the college search process, Penn State was not at the top of my list. However, after visiting University Park and getting to see the College of IST and all the buildings on campus, I fell in love. I enrolled in IST because I knew that technology was one of my strong suits. I wanted to pursue something that I could make a difference with, and I knew IST would be exactly that: a difference maker.

What do you remember about your first day on campus?

How I felt like I belonged and like I was welcomed by everyone I interacted with! Being new to Penn State can be daunting, but being able to go through that experience with my fellow peers helped me find who I wanted to be. I also lived in the IST Living Learning Community during my first year. Being able to surround myself with peers studying similar or the same topics helped me gain insights into my own thought process and problem-solving skills.

What are your favorite classes?

Overview of Information Security was an awesome experience. I learned Linux and how to hack and defend a system from threat actors. Outside of the college, my favorite class was a political science course, International Relations. It was filled with so many various and interesting discussions about political relationships between global powers.

How are you involved on campus?

I have been a member of the National Security Club at the College of IST. The organization helps its members by having speakers of various security functions talk about their roles, career opportunities, and career advice. Some of the agencies of note are Homeland Security Investigations, Defense Intelligence Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigations, Drug Enforcement Agency, National Ground Intelligence Center, and countless others. I am also a learning assistant in the college.

Have you completed an internship?

I worked as a digital services intern for Mondelez International last summer. I applied concepts I learned throughout my studies, such as risk analysis and threat modeling, to complete my ten-week project for the company. I now have a much better understanding of what it is like to work for a global corporation and how important it is to work for a company that values its employees—which Mondelez certainly does! It also put me on my path toward my career goal of working as a security analyst. 

How has IST made an impact for your future?

The IST Internship and Career fair has made the biggest impact on me by allowing me to see just how what I've learned through my studies can apply in the real world. It allowed me to network with a number of companies that I would have only dreamed of connecting with before my time at Penn State.

What is your favorite thing about IST?

Everyone from the faculty to your fellow peers is incredibly welcoming!

Last updated November 2022