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46 G.I. JOBS | OCTOBER 2017 | GIJOBS.COM EDU STUDENT SUCCESS SPOTLIGHT CYBER SIGHTED Surface Warfare Officer chases his dream of working in the fast- paced world of cybersecurity. BY LAURIE COWIN GROWING UP IN THE TENNESSEE SUBURBS of Nashville and Memphis, Will Cunha set his sights on becoming a country music star. He and his brother would hold concerts in their home, decorating the stage, donning cowboy cos- tumes and, like any good businessmen, charging admission. Fortunately, Cunha also had other aspirations. "From an early age I had always had a strong desire to serve in the Navy," he says. Through positive influences, including his Scout leaders, he aimed to attend the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. After interviews, applications, essays and waiting, Cunha received the "thin" letter – a rejection – for the class of 2010. He instead attended his father's alma mater, the University of Missouri - Co- lumbia, and participated in the Navy ROTC program. "I thoroughly enjoyed the school and made some great friends, but halfway through decided I wanted to give the academy another shot," he recalls. "My chain of com- mand was very supportive of the notion and with the help of them, my parents and mentors, I re-applied and was admitted into the Class of 2011 at the Naval Academy." Many of his mentors were former military pilots, so Cunha made flying his initial goal. After seeing what the Navy offered, how- ever, he was drawn to the challenge of being a division officer and serving on a ship. Much as he loved serving on a destroyer and cruiser and camaraderie associ- ated with service, including his highlight of hunting for submarines in the South China Sea, in 2016 he chose to separate from active duty. "In every junior officer's career there comes the 'deci- sion time' about whether to stay for another few years or get out," he says. "As some- one who always wanted to be in the Navy this was a very tough decision. I spoke with my commanding officer about it many times and explained I wanted to go back to school and further my education with a focus on cybersecurity. Most importantly, I wanted to go back to the classroom and surround myself with others who had a passion for learn- ing. Ultimately, I felt the best decision was for me to part ways with active duty and start a new chapter." Carnegie Mellon Univer- sity in Pittsburgh turned up in Cunha's research as having a great cybersecurity program. Cunha, age 29, cites the program as having the perfect balance between technical and non-technical education. CMU also participates in the Scholar- ship for Service Program, a grant-based opportunity sponsoring students' educa- tion with a requirement for government service within the cyber field upon gradu- ation. The scholarship was important for Cunha; he was not eligible for the GI Bill because he attended the academy and transi- tioned to the Reserve within five years. Acclimating to the classroom after five years away is not without its challenges. "It's taken time to get back into the habit of studying for tests, tak- ing notes and just being a