Continuing a four-year tradition, U.S. Bank awarded scholarships to three NKU College of Informatics students studying cybersecurity for the 2020-21 academic year. The scholarships went to sophomore Elise Stromberg as well as seniors Zebediah Gentry and Zackary McMurtry.

“I have been able to take more of an active role in the communities I’m involved in and help others.” Elise says. “I want to give back to the community that has helped me succeed these past few semesters, and this scholarship has helped me do this.”

Since 2015, U.S. Bank has been a valuable partner with the College of Informatics. The JRG Cyber Threat Intelligence Lab that opened in Griffin Hall in 2017 was modeled in part after U.S. Bank’s Security Operations Center in downtown Cincinnati. U.S. Bank and the college have collaborated on many events including the bank's annual Strength in Security Conference and Capture the Flag competition. Two co-sponsored events with the Girl Scouts of America provided girls in grades 6-12 with opportunities to learn about cybersecurity.

Charles Banks, assistant vice president at U.S. Bank, has been heavily involved in the partnership since its inception. Given the strong demand for qualified cybersecurity professionals in the global workforce, Banks believes the partnership between NKU and U.S. Bank offers great opportunities to prepare students for these careers.

“U.S. Bank highly values and will continue to cultivate our partnership with NKU because they are educating and preparing the next generation of professionals for careers in cybersecurity,” Banks says. “As an employer of choice, U.S. Bank looks to NKU knowing that the caliber of educated and skilled hires who have graduated from their programs will continue to help us meet our clients’ information and cybersecurity needs.”