A Louisiana Tech University Graduate Takes Skills from Cyber Innovation Center Internship to Join St. Louis Cardinals as Analyst

Mason Kelley, who began his internship at the Cyber Innovation Center (CIC) in the summer of 2023, is making a career transition from the CIC development team to becoming an analyst for the St. Louis Cardinals organization.

“I didn’t walk into this job; it took me building up my skills at Louisiana Tech and the CIC to land this opportunity,” Mason said. “What I learned in school has been an important foundation, and working at the CIC gave me experience with specific tools and languages that helped me land this opportunity.”

During his internship, Mason focused on web development for the Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) Portal, a new platform supporting modernization efforts for the command. The CIC, in partnership with AFGSC, offers services in cloud, cybersecurity, data management consulting, data analytics (including artificial intelligence and machine learning), software development, and more.

Mason collaborated with fellow interns and college Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps cadets from across the country, contributing to visual data representations for the command.

While always interested in working in sports, Mason’s confidence in pursuing a career with the St. Louis Cardinals was bolstered by the skills gained during his CIC internship.

“A lot of the skills I learned at the CIC — making software, programming languages, and technologies — will be used in my new career,” he said.

For data science students seeking internships, Mason highlights the CIC as a welcoming environment that provides valuable real-world experience.

“You have to do something above the minimum to make yourself attractive to employers — it’s not enough just to get a degree; you have to put extra effort into gaining real-world skills,” Mason emphasized. “At the CIC, beyond the skill-building, you get the unique opportunity to help the CIC’s mission of supporting AFGSC.”

Internship opportunities are available for summer 2024. Computer science students with a concentration in web development and data analytics can apply by emailing Kyle Branch, data analytics manager, at kyle.branch@cyber.org.