After graduation: Kaleb accepted a full-time offer from NRC Health as a software engineer.

Hometown: Columbus, NE
High school: Lakeview
Semester Selected: Spring 2022

What inspired you to pursue STEM? A cyber day at a community college inspired me to pursue cyber security. They had us find IP addresses of other machines around us. It sparked the thought that I could pursue this field as long as I work for it. I have been pursuing all the opportunities that I can to develop this career.

Who is someone (teacher, mentor, role model) in STEM you look up to and why? I look up to a co-worker at Behlen Manufacturing. His name is Bryan Cheever, but he has great work ethic and has shown that you can do anything you put your mind to.

What is one piece of advice you would give to someone considering a STEM major? Don't knock it until you try it. People who don't pursue STEM, usually state they don't think they could do it. I felt that way to, but I decided to ignore those worries and try anyways. I still get those thoughts, but every time I keep going, keep trying, I'm grateful that I went down this path.

What excites you about STEM? Cybersecurity excites me the most. Especially social engineering. You'd be amazed how simple it is to get access to a secure building. I've also recently been hired by a big company and they're security is so cool. I am incredibly excited about that.