No goal is too big

September 20, 2024

RayLee Wallis's summer internship taught her to believe in herself.

She spent June and July in Washington, D.C., as an intern in the Secretary of the Army Primary Cyber Advisor's office.

Wallis heard about the opportunity through university channels, and was confident that her DSU education had created a solid foundation in cyber security principles and basics, so she applied.

"You don't know if you don't try," she said, so she decided, "I should just go big or go home."

After an interview with Dr. Mary Bell, dean of The Beacom College of Computer & Cyber Sciences, and Dr. Mark Spanier, then-interim dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, Wallis was chosen for the position. She was surprised but "thankful they saw the potential in me to be a good candidate for this position," she said.

"Dakota State is an incredible place to be and the opportunities are endless here." RayLee Wallis

A cyber operations major from Minneapolis, Minn., she had to gain security clearance, find housing, and deal with other logistics before heading to D.C. Bell helped her find housing, and traveled with Wallis to D.C. to help her get settled before beginning the internship. The position was unpaid, so her expenses were covered with proceeds from the annual DakotaCon event at DSU.

"I couldn't have done it without this support," Wallis said.

She admits she was nervous going to work in the Pentagon that first day, but felt at ease very quickly. Her role as a cyber security analyst intern involved a lot of reading, researching, and creating white papers. She was able to focus on operational technology (OT) topics, which was a new subject for her. "It was interesting to discover and learn about the OT options," she said. Wallis plans to take advantage of Dakota State's curriculum in OT as she finishes her education. OT uses hardware and software to monitor or control systems in the physical environment, often utilized in manufacturing, utilities, or transportation businesses.

One of her internship assignments was to create a one-page information document on an international hacking group. She briefed then-director Michael Sulmeyer on that information, which he used in a congressional hearing.

"Seeing how my work helped him in that hearing was rewarding," she said.

Throughout the internship, she was surprised at how much the staff appreciated the interns' opinions and thoughts. "They really valued us," she said.

Now that she is back on campus, her biggest takeaway has been for students to believe in themselves.

"I learned I am capable of doing these big things," she said, "and I can develop the skills necessary for contributing in a fast-paced work environment."

She also discovered that companies and the government are looking for talent in cybersecurity, so she encourages her fellow students to "just go for it" if they're interested in an opportunity.

"Nothing is ever too big of a goal," she said, "and taking the risk is absolutely worth it."

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