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NCC Grad Launches Career in Cybersecurity

Keith Battle, a Rocky Mount native, graduated from Nash Community College in 2014 with an Associate in Applied Science in Computer Engineering Technology.

After graduating from Northern Nash High School, Battle chose NCC because of its reputation and credibility. “Due to the college’s smaller size, I was able to build relationships with faculty and students,” he said.

Keith Battle served as an NCC Student Ambassador representing the college at campus and community events. Student Ambassadors are selected for the program based on application, letters of recommendation and an interview. They are full-time students, maintaining a minimum grade point average of 3.0, and demonstrating a commitment to academic and career success.

“I enjoyed my experience at Nash. I developed good friendships and relationships and still maintain some of them. Being involved in so many events helped me discover a lot about myself,” Battle said. “I recall building a relationship with the plant manager from Cummins’ Rocky Mount Engine Plant who served on the NCC Foundation Board of Directors at the time. This relationship helped me earn an internship working in IT at the plant. Being an NCC graduate is a blessing. I wouldn’t dare take anything back from my experience there.”

Battle said his time at Nash Community College prepared him to be a successful student when he transferred to NC Agricultural and Technical State University. “Nash Community College prepared me for A&T by teaching me how to become more organized and disciplined in my education and life in general.”

While working full-time, Battle commuted from Raleigh to Greensboro, and completed one class as a part-time student. He often felt exhausted and overwhelmed, so he decided to relocate to Greensboro and adjust his schedule to achieve a better work-life balance. This decision enabled Battle to become an active part of the university.

“As a full-time student pursuing a  Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, I participated in events where I could begin networking with companies like Cisco, Disney, Amazon, and Northrop Grumman, just to name a few.”

In May 2021, Battle graduated from NC A&T with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science.

“Being a student at North Carolina A&T State University is like being welcomed into a family. I was surrounded by like-minded students who helped me stay focused on my purpose for being there.”

At A&T, Battle participated in research, was inducted into the National Society of Leadership and Success and Upsilon Pi Epsilon, an honor society for the computing and information disciplines. He was a member of the Association for Computing Machinery and even took first place in a “hackathon” competition which helped prepare him to pursue a career in cloud penetration testing, a method of authorized simulated cyber attacks used to identify vulnerabilities in cloud-hosted systems.

News of recent cyber attacks as well as major job announcements from tech companies such as Apple and Google highlight the demand in computer and information technology occupations. According to NCTech’s April Tech Talent/IT Job report which notes a substantial increase in demand for tech employment in North Carolina, Keith Battle’s occupational outlook is bright.

“I would not dare say that I did this on my own. I would like to acknowledge God first, because there were times when I was overwhelmed and had some doubt,” he said. “I didn’t do this for myself. I did this for my family and for Rocky Mount. I want to let my family and my hometown know that we are capable of accomplishing anything.”