My NJCCIC Internship Experience (Part 2): First Impressions & Experiences

Stepping into the NJCCIC Advanced Cybersecurity Internship felt both exciting and surreal. I had read the schedule, skimmed the welcome packet, and imagined what our weeks would look like — but the reality was far more engaging. Between insightful professional speaker sessions, collaborative project work, and hands-on technical training, I quickly realized this was going to be one of those experiences I’d remember long after it ended.

Professional Speaker Sessions

One of the first things that grabbed my interest was the lineup of professional speaker sessions. Each week, professionals in the field sat in with us to share their work. Their talks weren't merely career overviews but actual case studies of breaches, incident response, and the human element of cybersecurity work. These sessions consistently spawned questions that followed us into our group discussions, setting the stage for more complex learning in the days to come.

Cyber Insights & State Updates

That interest understandably extended to our cyber update and state update meetings. These were more relaxed, allowing us time to discuss the newest cyber attacks affecting New Jersey or high-profile world events in the headlines. They were like newsroom briefings — collegial, rapid-fire, and full of "what if" speculation. The informal atmosphere made it simple for interns to share their own insights, and the subject matter routinely connected back to the competencies that we were developing in our training.

Team Collaboration

By the time my group embarked on our team projects, we'd already established a good foundation of trust and collective knowledge from those preceding sessions. My team worked flawlessly on three key deliverables, which were the research paper, the CTF challenge, and the escape room.

Cyberbit Training

In parallel with the group work, we immersed ourselves in Cyberbit, an interactive training platform. The virtual SOC (Security Operations Center) experience provided hands-on training in detecting, analyzing, and responding to cyber incidents. What was particularly valuable was the way the training reflected scenarios covered in our speaker sessions — the connection between theory and practice was direct and obvious.

Beyond the Internship

Just as the program finished, we learned that CyberStart America was coming to a close. Shortly afterward, I had the chance to help develop and test challenges for JerseyCTF, a statewide competition for college students. Working on upper-level challenges for a competitive audience was daunting and thrilling — and it wouldn't have been possible without the network and confidence I found at NJCCIC.

Wrap-Up

In retrospect, it was the structure of the program that made it so effective. Every element — speaker sessions, state updates, collaborative projects, and technical training — led into the next, building upon what had preceded it. By the conclusion, I wasn't simply taking away fresh skill sets; I was taking away a more profound comprehension of how all of the moving pieces in cybersecurity relate. Please stay tuned for part 3 of this series, where I will talk about my key takeaways and give my advice!

About the Author: I'm Jophy Lin, a high school junior and researcher. I blog about a variety of topics, such as STEM research, competitions, shows, and my experiences in the scientific community. If you’re interested in research tips, competition insights, drama reviews, personal reflections on STEM opportunities, and other related topics, subscribe to my newsletter to stay updated!