CLARKSVILLE, TN – Arielle Lawrence was always fascinated by programming, and she taught herself how to code in high school by designing software like a Hangman clone, citation generator, and memory card matching game.
Her dedication led her to attend Austin Peay State University as a first-generation college student, and now she is applying her skills as a cybersecurity intern with the Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration.
“I’m excited about the experience and getting to know the field firsthand,” said Lawrence, a sophomore double-majoring in mathematics and computer science. “I love all the hands-on projects that I’ve been assigned. I’m doing a lot of Excel-based data analysis, and I’ve gotten to see what the auditing processes and federal cybersecurity frameworks look like.”
Lawrence’s responsibilities include making sure data is accurate, assisting with security documentation and researching best practices for protecting information systems. She plans to become a data scientist after graduation, and the internship has helped prepare her for the field.
“So far, I’ve been able to use my programming skills to automate certain tools,” she said. “Instead of doing something manually by hand that would take hours, I can program it to take seconds. I feel like it’s strengthened my attention to detail and my analytical skills, and I’ve also learned what it means to be on a professional team.”
Sharpening her soft skills has been among the most valuable parts of the internship for Lawrence, who recently led her first professional meeting as part of the Vulnerability Management Advisory Board.
“Those involve reviewing newly identified software vulnerabilities and discussing the appropriate responses,” she said. “When they first told me I’d be running one I was nervous, but throughout the past couple of months I’ve been training for it. I got to run a mock meeting the week before, and that went very well.”
Lawrence is using that experience to grow more confident as a speaker and take on more leadership roles at Austin Peay. She is currently involved with the Honors Program, the President’s Emerging Leaders Program, and the Helping Paws student organization, and plans to become a peer leader.
“Starting college meant there was a lot of new information thrown at me at once,” she said. “Being in the Honors Program helped me a lot, and in PELP I was assigned a sophomore mentor. If I ever needed anything, she’d know what to do. I saw how much having a peer leader helped me, and I want to be there for others in the same way.”
Having those resources was especially helpful for Lawrence as a first-generation college student. She said APSU’s students, faculty and staff have all helped her feel at home in a new environment.
“My mom didn’t finish college, so she always stressed to me that it was something I had to do,” she said. “I took that to heart, and I’ve enjoyed my experience so far. I don’t think she was wrong about that, especially since I want to go into the tech field.”