The Trusted CI Student Program provides undergraduate and graduate students with hands-on experience, mentorship, and opportunities to learn how to build a secure and resilient digital future. Our program allows them to connect with the nation’s leading cybersecurity experts and equips them with the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in the increasingly critical field of cybersecurity.
We are pleased to announce the 2025 Trusted CI Student Program cohort. Over the next six months, our students will learn about essential cybersecurity topics from Trusted CI experts. They will attend bi-monthly webinars from May to October, covering cybersecurity topics, soft skills, and career prep. This year’s cohort includes graduate students with interests in financial security, risk assessment, governance policy, and high performance computing. Read more about their backgrounds and what they hope that they will learn during their time with Trusted CI:
Kofoworola Idowu is a graduate student in cybersecurity at Yeshiva University, passionate about protecting digital assets and staying ahead of emerging threats. With a strong foundation in systems administration, risk assessment, and vulnerability management, she is excited to bring her skills and enthusiasm to the Trusted CI Student Program and contribute to its vibrant community. When she is not diving into the world of threat analysis and security protocols, you can find her trying out new hobbies or dancing. She is looking forward to collaborating, learning, and growing with like-minded individuals.
Trina Locklear is a doctoral student in the Computer Science department at The University of Alabama. She is also a member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina. Her research interests include software security in high performance computing. She is a former GAANN fellow and intern at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. She loves to bake and southern pound cake is her speciality.
Konstantin Metz is a graduate student in cybersecurity at the University of Central Florida, where he is pursuing an M.S. in cybersecurity and privacy as a CyberCorps Scholarship for Service recipient. His academic research centers on human-computer interaction, with a focus on dark patterns and digital accessibility for individuals with vision impairments. He holds a Bachelor of Science in information technology with a minor in cybersecurity and strategic communications within public relations from Nova Southeastern University. Metz has held technical and analytical roles in both the U.S. government and private sector, concentrating on incident response, cloud security, and systems administration. A bilingual speaker of German and English, he is a prospective Ph.D. student, whose research interests include governance, risk and compliance, cybersecurity policy and law, and the implementation of cloud infrastructure. In his free time, he enjoys exploring emerging technologies in health care, supporting his communities, cooking, and traveling.
