In early March, Molloy welcomed Tristan Bhiro ’16 as a guest speaker in several Computer Science classes. Tristan is a senior at Pace University where he is majoring in Information Technology with a minor in Computer Science. His studies have focused entirely on Cybersecurity. “I’ve always enjoyed building things and solving problems. Computer Science is essentially studying the ways in which you can efficiently solve complex problems with code, and Cybersecurity is a field where this critical thinking is applied to building solutions that protect an organization’s data/our personal data,” explained Tristan.
Tristan explained why he wanted to serve as a guest speaker at Molloy. “I had an amazing four years at Molloy. I feel that I grew a lot during my time there and was fortunate to have some of the most influential teachers in my life there. It’s in Stanner nature to give back, and knowing that Molloy is teaching more rigorous Computer Science courses, it was the perfect opportunity to share what I’ve been learning with Molloy students.”
Last year, Tristan attended a Molloy event which featured a presentation by Dr. Adam Young, who initiated the area of study known as Cryptovirology in 1996 with Moti Yung at Columbia University. Cryptovirology is the study of the applications of cryptography to malicious software. “When I heard about Dr. Young’s presentation, I was ecstatic. I was so happy that Molloy was hosting an event to introduce their students to this area of study, and I was even more excited that alumni could attend,” said Tristan. “I was able to network with Dr. Young thereafter and he kindly put me in contact with a former colleague who ended up interviewing me for a summer internship at MITRE, which is where I have been working ever since. So, in short, that presentation was quite literally life changing.”
Tristan has high hopes for the future of Molloy’s Computer Science program. “Throughout my time at Molloy, we did not have any classes related to that area of study. Clearly, the new curriculum has been great because the students understood technical concepts very quickly and were asking thoughtful questions that professionals I currently work with are trying to answer.” Tristan also thanked Ms. Edit Boral, who welcomed Tristan into her classes. “Her students are lucky to have her!”
Looking ahead, Tristan’s long-term goals include “continuing engineering security solutions that serve public interest and ultimately help improve our nation’s security posture.”