Cybersecurity & Defense

Program Information

Rising Freshman - Graduating Seniors

Georgetown University Washington, DC

Seven Days - Sunday to Saturday

July 13th - 19th, 2025

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$3,500 USD

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Cybersecurity & Defense Internship

Fight cyber crimes.

All Cybersecurity & Defense Internship sessions are now closed. Visit our 2026 Cybersecurity & Defense Internship page here for more session availability.

The Program

The Cybersecurity & Defense Internship is a first-of-its-kind program that allows students to work directly with cyber security experts, learn anti-hacking tactics in various fields, and implement security system protocols for previously hacked companies.

In this rigorous internship, students will participate in hack-a-thon competitions, tour cyber security and intelligence department headquarters, and work with professional cybersecurity leaders from the NSA and Department of Homeland Security to design new security systems and protocols for organizations and companies that have been targeted by cybercrime. Interns will design protocols, run test trials, and fight active hackers to defend information of great importance to defense organizations, healthcare companies, and fortune 500 businesses.

For their final project, students will design and propose a cybersecurity strategy for a start-up business that has no previous security system in place. Participants will present these proposed strategies to a panel of experts with the top strategies being implemented the following year.

Interns will work with officials from the Department of Homeland Security to learn about cybersecurity attacks done to industries such as HealthCare, Business, National Security, and Home Security and the hacks that went in them.

Hack-a-Thon

Interns work with current and former experts from the Pentagon, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Central Intelligence Agency, National Security Agency, Department of Homeland Security, and State Department to assist in creating cybersecurity protocols for their start-up partner.

Work with Experts

Interns will partner with security agencies located throughout Washington D.C. to learn the fundamentals of cybersecurity and the modern cybersecurity approach. Interns will take this knowledge to design a cybersecurity model for a business start-up at risk of a cyber-attack.

Cybersecurity Experience

Program Highlights

Alejandro Espana Arellano

UIC College Prep, Class of 2025

2023 Cybersecurity & Defense Internship

"I found the lecture from Dr. Aaron Hansen was the most interesting. He taught us about malware and different types of cyber-attacks and how we can react when something like that happens to us. Dr Hansen taught us useful information we can use if we decide to do a cyber security career. I also developed a security system that our business can implement in case of a security breach or a data hack. I think working with my group was the best experience I had in this internship. Everyone contributing made me feel like we were a really strong team and it is something I will never forget."

Explore a career in cybersecurity and data protection — before you graduate high school.

Throughout the internship, interns will hear from representatives of the National Security Agency, CIA, FBI, Department of Homeland Security, and State Department. Interns will get to meet with representatives from these organizations on a regular basis throughout the program to ask questions about cybersecurity initiatives and their proposed cybersecurity infrastructure.

Additionally, interns will get to hear from representatives of major cybersecurity employers to learn more about career opportunities in cybersecurity, as well as scholarships and fellowships that could be used to further their education in cybersecurity and national security.

Explore a career in security

Throughout the internship, interns will be instructed on multiple software programs used in cybersecurity operations to develop their understanding of cybersecurity and the process of preventing/addressing cyber-attacks. Interns will get an in-depth understanding of Wireshark and its open-source packet analyzer. They will use this tool to troubleshoot the network they are presented with and undergo mass packet sniffing in minutes. Interns will also utilize NMAP, also known as a Network Mapper, to determine vulnerability checking and network mapping in order to gain access to any ports that are uncontrolled on the host network they are working on.

Explore a career in security.

Interns will explore Washington DC and take exclusive tours of military bases, the Pentagon, the State Department, and Various Embassies to get an immersive understanding of cybersecurity and its application on a global scale while also getting to experience life as a Georgetown University student in the Nation’s Capitol.

Explore a career in cybersecurity and data protection — before you graduate high school.

Students have the rare opportunity to attend Undergraduate Admissions and Cybersecurity Recruitment Panels to provide students with a firsthand account of what universities look for in their accepted students. Students speak directly with Admissions Officers from Yale, Dartmouth, Brown, Georgetown, George Washington, and American University. Cybersecurity recruitment officers from the State Department, Pentagon, FBI, and Department of Homeland Security.

Explore a career in cybersecurity

Undergraduate Admissions Panels

Intelligence Admissions Panels

Interns will also get an exclusive look into the Metasploit Project, one of the most commonly used frameworks for ethical hacking and cybercrime. They will use the Metasploit Project to probe the network they are using for any security vulnerabilities in order to find entry points in the server. At the end of the internship, interns will put all of these skills to practice in a hack-a-thon project where they will try to infiltrate the host network.

Explore a career in cybersecurity and data protection — before you graduate high school.

All students who attend one of our Summer Internship Programs will receive free SAT/ACT training through Testive, one-on-one admissions consulting with a former admissions officer, essay editing assistance, two letters of recommendation, and scholarship application assistance. These benefits remain available for four years to allow nominations for rising freshmen through rising seniors.

Click on each academic benefit below to learn more :

1. One-on-One Advising

2. College Essay Assistance

3. Letters of Recommendation

4. College Probabilities

6. Admissions Panels

5. Personalized Websites

Jumpstart your college experience.

Summer program students will have the opportunity to meet one-on-one with a college admissions expert. They will help walk students through the ins-and-outs of college applications, essay writing, and scholarships.

Students can speak directly with former admissions officers from schools such as Yale, Brown & UCLA. These individuals have a minimum of 15 years of experience in the field of college admissions.

Students are recommended to have their most pressing questions about the college application process ready so they can have them answered by someone who knows the application system inside and out.

Past students have used this time to hone in on their essay topics, decide on how many colleges to apply to, and create application time lines.

College Admissions Panel

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All Summer Internship Program participants receive one-on-one essay editing assistance from Leadership Initiatives partner University Connection.

This offer is exclusive, and not available with any other institution or program!

Each student essay will be edited to ensure it makes an excellent impression at every stage of the competitive application process. The editors will improve the style, clarity, sentence structure and coherence of your application so that your achievements are noticed.

Editors bring their experience in many different backgrounds, including Science and Technology, Commerce, Management, and the Humanities.

College Essay Review

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Letters of Recommendation

All participants in the Summer Internship Program will have the opportunity to have two written for them from any Leadership Initiatives staff member, including the Executive Director Marshall Bailly.

Students interns will also have the opportunity to have letters written by Leadership Initiatives partners from the International Business & Development Internship, International Public Health Internship, and International Law & Advocacy Internship.

These unique and complimentary letters are one of the most highly regarded benefits that Leadership Initiatives has. Below are letters of recommendation from past students showcasing how the program transformed their lives:

Matthew Matusiewicz - Full Ride to UC Berkley School of Engineering

Samantha Williams - Attending Harvard University

Meredith Karle - Full Scholarship to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Request a letter or recommendation here.

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College Probability Modeling

Leadership Initiatives and our partners at Parchment, Testive and University Initiatives have designed a system that will calculate the probability of acceptance into the student’s top university choices based on the students GPA, test scores, extracurricular activities, career goals, financial need and more.

The Leadership Initiatives college admissions team will then help all participants narrow their college interest list and create a college application plan.

Because our college admissions teamwork with a broad range of higher education institutions, their advice, and beneficial knowledge will allow students to further understand the college admissions process.

Financial Assistance Needs

Extra-Curricular Activities

Community Service

College Probability Calculator

Grade Point Average

SAT/ACT Training Scores

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Leadership Initiatives creates a personalized website for each International Internship Program team highlighting their collaborative efforts with their partner in the International Business & Development Internship, International Law & Advocacy Internship, or International Public Health Internship.

The website displays your team's solutions, grant proposal, photos of your partners, and illustrates the impact your team has had on the life and community of your partners. The website link is included in your letters of recommendation, allowing colleges to independently explore the phenomenal work done by each and every student.

Personalized Website

Click here to view Youth Development Program websites.

Summer program students will have the opportunity to meet virtually, one-on-one with a college admissions expert from our partners at CollegeAdvisor. They will help walk students through the ins-and-outs of college applications, essay writing, and scholarships.

Students can speak directly with dedicated admissions counselors and former admissions officers to provide them with an in-depth understanding of the college application process. These counselors have personal and extensive experience in the college application field that cannot be replicated anywhere else.

Students are recommended to have their most pressing questions about the college application process ready so they can have them answered by someone who knows the application system inside and out.

Past students have used this time to hone in on their essay topics, decide on how many colleges to apply to, and create application time lines.

College Admissions Officer Meetings

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