Posted on June 3, 2016 by Joanna Carver
Student involvement, internships and passion are the makings of a successful undergraduate career in information systems and cyber security.
Neel Mehta Photo
Neel Mehta, a UTSA College of Business graduating senior, is a top undergraduate student with a double major in information systems and cyber security.
Mehta has come a long way since his freshman year, completing an internship and externship, becoming an active member of the Computer Information Systems Association, and practicing with UTSA’s Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition team.
Through his participation in college professional development programs through the Center for Student Professional Development, Mehta was able to find valuable work experience and improve his interview skills.
“I met a couple of senior leadership members from the company I was considering interning with before my internship ever started. This helped me solidify my decision of where to intern,” Mehta said.
Mehta attributes his studies in the College of Business as a significant step toward accomplishing his business career goals. He said that students gain technical knowledge combined with business knowledge as part of the curriculum.
Mehta found his digital forensics class taught by Nicole Beebe and his competition class taught by Miroslav Bartik valuable.
“It is an advantage that many professors have worked for or are currently working in the field and can use those connections to help students with their post-graduate job searches,” he said.
During his internship at Rackspace, Mehta was exposed to a variety of cyber security disciplines. During his externship at Harland Clarke, Mehta worked with a group of UTSA students in a professional environment to improve website security.
Mehta was motivated to join extracurricular activities and registered student organizations like the Computer Information Systems Association (CISA) because students have a chance to use theories learned in class and apply them to real-world situations.
Mehta looks forward to his career with Chevron after graduation and working to secure the nation’s energy supply. And, the College of Business prepared him for success academically and professionally. He said he is now able to “make data-driven, financially and economically sound decisions that are ethical and aligned with the company’s values.”
Giselle Villalpando—
Please send your comments to: wendy.frost@utsa.edu
— Joanna Carver
