Alumni

Student and Alumni Success

Staying true to our mission of providing quality education to qualifying students, thereby catering to the growing demands of this evolving industry, the University of Fairfax has helped numerous students achieve certificates and degrees since its founding. We celebrate the success of our alumni, a lot of them who are now industry leaders and policymakers. Here are some of our most notable alumni sharing their stories with us. The University of Fairfax is proud to have played a part in their well-deserved success.

Dr. Yasmin Razack, Doctorate of Information Assurance, Class of ’21

“The modules included in the program help you to create a clear roadmap in terms of the paths and resources available to break into the field of cybersecurity; it gives you diverse options to move into once you complete the doctoral program. You could take on the role of a security consultant, architect, CISO, analyst, forensic specialist, researcher, or move into a teaching profession.” She also enjoyed the fact that our professors and peers brought their real-world experience to the classroom. “I felt this program helped me tremendously in improving my depth, breadth, and knowledge of cybersecurity.” Not only did her professors, Dr. Umesh Varma and Dr. Timothy Sorber, support her in her class, but they also jointly published an article with her, based on the work that she did for her dissertation on demystifying the security of blockchain. “I thought it would be good to research on blockchain implementation for the airline industry in the UAE… I’ve been living for 25 years in the UAE and wanted to give back to the country where I grew professionally as well as personally.”

Kruthi Jayakumar, Doctorate of Information Assurance, Current Student

Kruthi worked for a number of years as a network engineer and wanted to make a switch to the cybersecurity department of her workplace. She first heard about University of Fairfax from a friend of hers that graduated from our MBA program. “I was surprised by how welcoming and detailed they were about all the information that was required.” Kruthi states that the DIA program exceeded her expectations. “Other programs were focused more on IT whereas this DIA program concentrated more on cybersecurity.” She also appreciated the expertise of our experienced instructors. They were able to teach her about important subjects she did not previously know about such as the legal aspects of cybersecurity. “That was something I had no idea about. [At my job] that is standard, you are supposed to know about that…That is something no one tells you when you work for a company, so that was very good to know.” In the future, Kruthi hopes to have more of a good standing in cybersecurity and wants to earn more certifications to advance her cybersecurity career.

Dr. Frances Undelikwo, Doctorate of Information Assurance, Class of ’20

Frances has 20+ years of experience working in information technology in Nigeria. After completing a large project at her last job, Frances did some research online to find doctorate programs to help her achieve her next goal. When she realized she had to go outside of Nigeria to find a program, she asked her friend, an American professor, which school she should commit to, he suggested University of Fairfax. From the time she applied to University of Fairfax to her last day of class, Frances’s experience had been completely online. For her online classes, she talks about how the initial shift from in-person to online classes was difficult at first, however she “got used to it” and enjoyed her classes. She loved that the classes were taught by professionals in the field and that everything she learned was relevant to what she would be doing in her future position. Now working as the Head of Systems Information Control, she hopes more women enter the cybersecurity field. To anyone who may be thinking about earning their DIA with University of Fairfax, Frances encourages you to invest in yourself and go for it.

Dr. John Galliano, US Air Force veteran, Doctorate of Information Assurance, Class of ’17

John is a University of Fairfax graduate, a veteran, and now the program director for cybersecurity technology at University of Maryland Global Campus. Before attending UF, John worked in the federal sector in Honolulu, Hawaii. As an airman deployed in the Gulf during Desert Storm, he saw that a university offered classes to deployed service members, inspiring him to pursue a career in education. He, later, became an adjunct professor while deployed in Korea and he realized that he wanted to go further. “A strong motivator for me was the knowledge that, in higher education, I needed to have a terminal degree.” He researched schools, talked to his contacts, and found the University of Fairfax. John needed a school that was military friendly. He received the Blue Ribbon Grant twice and utilized other military benefits that University of Fairfax had to offer. Aside from the cost of John’s application fee, UF’s exclusive Blue Ribbon Grant was able to cover his out-of-pocket costs beyond costs covered by his G.I. Bill benefits. A couple years after graduating from University of Fairfax, John encountered a great job opportunity. “Because I had leaned forward and the University of Fairfax was there for me and provided me that great opportunity, I was able to capitalize on it.”

James Senger, US Air Force veteran, Chief Information Security Officer, Current Student

“The University of Fairfax doctorate program in Cybersecurity is exceeding my expectations. As a retired Air Force veteran and someone who has been working in security over 35 years, getting my master’s in cybersecurity was a completion of a career and educational goal I completed before coming to UF, however, getting a doctorate was also a long-time goal I never considered possible until coming across the University of Fairfax program. This will help reach my final goal of teaching classes one day to help shape future cybersecurity practitioners. I researched all the schools that offered online programs looking for the right fit for my work and home life. I searched for a program that was challenging, rewarding, and aligned with my professional goal and personal life commitments, UF met the requirements. The classes, professors, enrollment staff, and counselors have been outstanding in every aspect and all have exceeded my expectations. I spend several hours each day studying and have also found the content is relevant to my job and the corporate America. The online face-to-face meetings work well being able to see your professor and classmates providing an experience as if being in the classroom.”

Dr. Claude L. Jenkins II, Doctorate of Information Assurance, Class of ’16

Dr. Claude L. Jenkins II currently serves as a Computer Science and Technology professional with the US Army Communications and Electronics Command, Software Engineer Center (CECOM SEC). “My journey started with the University of Fairfax back in 2006; I deployed in that particular month, and was able to continue to pursue my studies. There are so many people within the University of Fairfax that I’d like to thank.”

Regina Bumper, Doctorate of Business Administration, Current Student

“The convenience of online classes and the many interactions I had with my instructors have helped confirm that I made the right decision in choosing University of Fairfax for my doctorate. The online classes are perfectly spaced to meet every two weeks and once you get in the rhythm of the classes it will make learning easy. My experience has been phenomenal!! I have really learned a lot from each professor. In particular, Dr. Lauren VanTalia has made my time here remarkable and enjoyable. Her genuine concern to help all students succeed is very significant. The University of Fairfax is a hidden gem and a great place to further your education.”

Dr. Kyle Brennan, Doctorate of Information Assurance, Class of ’21

“The University of Fairfax’s DIA program provided me with knowledge and tools for success. The course structure allowed me to strengthen how I apply critical thinking, research techniques, and logical problem solving within the business environment. The course structure and depth of research I’ve undertaken is a crucial component towards how I analyze and evaluate security principles within business environments. From a professional standpoint, the education path helped me correlate the complexity of understanding security requirements and path of implementation to satisfy corporate initiatives.” Kyle is now the Vice President, Information Security Officer at Pentucket Bank.

John Giordani, Doctorate of Information Assurance, Current Student

“I love the atmosphere of the University of Fairfax. Everyone is so motivated and you can feel that in the air. No one is ever rude or unhelpful, they are always willing to help and make it easier for you to succeed. My classes were always interesting, and the amount of work we all had to do was very different for every class. I would tell someone considering my major in cybersecurity to go for it! It sounds scary, but it’s a lot of fun and you will learn so much about computers and technology.” John is considered a cybersecurity expert, is a Certified Systems Auditor (CISA), and holds an advisory board member position at Pace University’s Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems.