It wasn’t until he took an online cybersecurity course through Google that something clicked.
“I was like, ‘This is really interesting. I love this,’ ” David said.
His passion led him to search for cybersecurity programs, when he discovered Marshall’s Cyber Forensics and Security program was one of the top-ranked programs in the country.
It’s a real gift when an excellent program in the field you’re passionate about and your family legacy school are right in your backyard.
David’s father, Chris LeGrow, has been a professor at Marshall for 25 years, and David’s sister, brother and mom all attended Marshall.
Now a junior in Marshall’s cybersecurity program, David has found the perfect blend of academic challenge and real-world application. “The program is fantastic. It’s definitely got a practitioner’s mindset,” David said. “There are lectures, but then you get to immediately apply what you learn, which helps solidify both types of learning.”
In addition to his coursework, David’s engaged in hands-on research, analyzing cyber threats related to global events and large-scale ransomware attacks.
He’s been able to get real hands-on experience through Marshall’s Cyber Forensics and Security program. His current project is as a Cyber Navigator through West Virginia Secretary of State and Marshall, where he and his team work with Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and West Virginia counties to ensure our election’s security.
David currently works four jobs—including assisting with events at Marshall’s Institute for Cyber Security and mentoring underrepresented high school students in STEM through the Health Science Technology Academy.
The motivation behind his work ethic? His 4-year-old son.
“All of my perspectives and priorities totally changed when I had my son,” David said. “Before, I was fine bartending and hanging out. But now, that’s not enough to give him the life he deserves. This is all for him.”
“I’ll be doing some really technical work, and then my son will come over with a Lego car and say, ‘Dad, can you help me with this?’ And I’m like, ‘I would love to.’ It’s a break from everything, and it’s turned into a wonderful balance,” David said.
“This is what my parents did for me,” David said. “They settled down and provided for us, and I want to give my son the same stability and opportunities. He deserves that, too.”
As David looks toward his career, his goal is to help both government and private entities protect themselves from emerging cyber threats, bridging the gap between the digital and real worlds.
As cyber threats continue to evolve in complexity and scale, raising awareness and enhancing security measures becomes ever more critical.
October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month (CSAM), an initiative started by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) in 2004.
CISA recommends four easy ways to stay safe online, which include:
- Use strong passwords
- Turn on multi-factor authentication
- Recognize and report phishing
- Update software
For more information on cybersecurity at Marshall University, visit www.marshall.edu/cyber.
