UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Alexei Hooks, a fall 2022 graduate from the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology, was recently awarded the 2022-23 Westin Scholar Award for his outstanding skills and dedication to the field of privacy and data protection.
The award, which was first presented in 2020, is sponsored by the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) and is awarded to students who are recognized by their professors as future leaders in the cybersecurity field. Hooks is the second College of IST student to receive this award.
“Being selected as the Westin Scholar Award winner in my final semester in the College of IST validated my academic pursuits here at Penn State,” Hooks said. “It was an opportunity to gauge how much I have grown in the field of IST and legitimizes the value of my time and experiences.”
As a cybersecurity analytics and operations major, Hooks channeled his knowledge from the classroom into multiple clubs and organizations within the College of IST and at Penn State. He was a member of the National Security Club and IST’s honor society Gamma Tau Phi, as well as served as president of the Kappa Sigma fraternity.
“Joining clubs and organizations at the University, especially within the College of IST, really pushed my understanding of what I was learning in the classroom and helped me better specialize my knowledge in areas that I will be working in,” he said.
Hooks’ interest in privacy policy and his time spent in Assistant Professor of IST Shomir Wilson’s Integration of Privacy and Security course sparked his interest in the subject.
“Privacy policy is one of the most debatable topics in technology, being that different people can have differing feelings about how personal data privacy should be handled,” he said. “This award allows me the opportunity to further develop my privacy policy knowledge by giving me the opportunity to take certain IAPP certification exams. It also grants me the ability to join a network of professionals who study various sectors of data privacy, and whom I hope to network with in my future."
As a recent graduate from the College of IST, Hooks has seen first-hand the role privacy plays for both individuals and companies through his Penn State courses and internship with Federated Hermes in Pittsburgh as an information operations security intern. He knew he wanted to combine his passions for threat intelligence and the political landscape in his job search.
“These industries have a continually changing focus. Having a passion that isn’t the same everyday was something I was seeking,” Hooks said.
Now, Hooks is beginning his career in Alexandria, Virginia, in a general management consulting position with Booz Allen Hamilton’s Global Defense Group.
“I am excited to use this award to join an IAPP group in the D.C. Metro area in order to continue my growth in the study of privacy,” Hooks said.