Day in the Life of a SealingTech Intern

Each summer, SealingTech hosts its Cyber Advancement for Students, Leaders, and Engineers (CASTLE) Program for individuals passionate about cybersecurity and engineering. Selected candidates work alongside existing SealingTech teams on meaningful projects while learning from the best cyber defense experts in the industry.

SealingTech’s 2024 CASTLE Program Class

Today, July 25—National Intern Day, we shine a spotlight on our hardworking and talented 2024 CASTLE Program class. Let’s meet Matt, Sala, Vince, and Kayla and see what they’ve been up to all summer.

Rising senior Matt Hambrecht attends University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) and is working toward his Bachelor of Science in Computer Science on the artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) tract.

During his first week at SealingTech, he admits to facing challenges of coming into a large codebase that leveraged tools he’d never used before. But after conducting much research and leaning on his teammates for guidance, Matt soon became comfortable enough to jump in and start contributing to his team’s project, one they’ve been working on for months.

“Beyond enhancing my programming skills and knowledge,” he says, “this experience has expanded my skills in leveraging AI/ML tools, DevOps, and even networking. I get to handle and configure a lot of hardware and use industry standard tools such as SecurityOnion, Pfsense, and VMware, as well as prepare Linux, routers, firewalls, and switches for specific use cases. While evaluating my team’s project’s security posture, I was able to use cybersecurity tools in a real-world scenario which allowed me to hone my skills to find, explore, and document real vulnerabilities for remediation.” 

After graduation, Matt plans to land a full-time job in cybersecurity in AI/ML and software engineering while earning his master’s degree, and possibly a PhD in Data Science or AI/ML.

College graduate Sala McElroy holds a BS in Computer Science from Augusta University. She begins her master’s program in Data Science in the fall.

This summer, Sala’s been working on Operator X, a new SealingTech innovation which leverages generative AI to enhance cyber operators in the military. To get large language models (LLMs) to generate clean and executable code, she’s been helping her team develop an AI agent capable of translating natural language queries into interactive commands

Matt & Sala at 2024 TechNet Cyber in Baltimore, MD

“Collaborating with a supportive team and others who are equally enthusiastic about AI/ML has been incredibly rewarding,” she says. “A highlight was when in my first week, Ed Sealing, Chief Technology Officer, presented software development techniques he wished he knew as a beginner. The experience was invaluable and made me feel welcomed and valued. I also got to participate in AFCEA’s TechNet Cyber. It gave me a chance to explore current innovations and present my work along with Matt at a major cybersecurity conference.”

“The greatest lesson I have learned during this internship is that you shouldn’t be afraid to pursue your goals,” says Vince Gruse. “This program was a big step for me outside of school in making a career switch, something that terrified me for years. But it confirmed my aspirations to become a software engineer.

I think the biggest skills I have learned so far relate to the process of software development—seeing how the product comes together, the meetings that take place, and the types of information stakeholders are looking for when discussing new ideas or problems.”

Vince has been helping his team including fellow intern Kayla to develop SealingTech’s new touchscreen for its SN 5100 server, specifically with redesigning the layout of its user interface (UI) to improve system performance and the customer’s experience.

As he continues to work toward his master’s at Towson University in Computer Science with a concentration in software engineering, Vince hopes to remain at SealingTech where he can continue to pursue his passion for software engineering in an environment that is constantly evolving with new and exciting challenges. 

Rising junior Kayla Simpson attends the University of Pennsylvania, majoring in Computer and Information Sciences with a double minor in Cognitive Science and Math.

“My experience at Sealing Tech has been extremely rewarding. I love knowing that the work I do has a real impact and that the code I write is integrated into an actual product. My team welcomed me from the very beginning, and the amount I’ve learned has grown exponentially since my first day.

At the start of my internship, I found applying theoretical knowledge to real-world products to be challenging. My undergrad courses in computing systems and algorithms provided a strong foundation, however understanding their practical applications was on a different level. Transitioning from building my own projects to contributing to a complex, existing codebase required significant effort to grasp all the moving parts. Additionally, I had to quickly familiarize myself with a range of networking and system administration technologies. I overcame these challenges by dedicating time to study and practice these concepts, seeking guidance from my team, and contextualizing my academic knowledge for real-world scenarios.

The hands-on experience and mentorship I’ve received not only enhanced my technical skills, but they’ve also made it easier for me to picture a fulfilling and impactful career in this field. I’m excited to contribute to innovative projects and continue growing as a software engineer.”

Are you or someone you know looking to gain practical, real-world experience in the exciting and ever-evolving landscape of cybersecurity and engineering? Contact us about our paid internship program at info@sealingtech.com.