Will Smith’s passion for technology began in the first grade when he received his first computer. By the time he was in fourth grade he had formed his own technology company helping individuals and businesses with their technology problems.

Now as a senior in the UTSA College of Business, Smith will graduate this spring in three years and has already secured a position as an information security engineer on the Global Information Security Team at Mastercard’s Global Operations Center in Missouri.

“I have a passion for studying cyber security,” said Smith, a native of Austin. “I chose UTSA because of its No. 1 ranking. And, I’ve fallen in love with the campus.”

Realizing the importance of networking, Smith set a goal to connect with 20 individuals each day in the technology industry through LinkedIn. One of those connections shared with him information about the Mastercard summer internship program. Competing with 1,000 applicants, Smith secured his spot as a corporate security operations intern after acing a 17-minute interview as a freshman.

Smith’s 10-week internship had him working in identity access management and physical access engineering. During this time he became certified in Splunk, a data analytics tool, analyzed data from Mastercard’s security logs and piloted a new turnstile badge access system for employees.

“There is a lot more to the job than sitting in the office eight hours a day,” said Smith, who is also an Eagle Scout. “It was an outstanding experience.”

Read the full story from the UTSA College of Business