Student Spotlight

If you could sum up Justin Applegate, a junior from Mesa, Arizona, in three words, they would be: He. Loves. Cybersecurity. In high school, his brother got him into programing and, while he enjoyed it, he wanted to do something a little more challenging. Hacking had always sounded interesting to him, so he decided to give it a shot. As Justin began school at BYU after returning from his mission in Houston, Texas, he participated in several in-school cyber competitions. In one, he even earned 3rd place. As he completed his freshman year, he found that he absolutely loved cybersecurity and knew that he had found his calling in life.

Since his freshman year, Justin has participated in many cybersecurity competitions, most in the style of CTF (Capture the Flag). Competitors are given a specific line of code that they are instructed to find in order to win. They then need to hack into websites and find the line of code, or the flag, in the shortest amount of time. Along with his friend Ian Cook, Justin founded the competitive capture the flag team at BYU and they have competed at several national and worldwide events. During his time in this club, Justin found himself in a position to help teach, support, and mentor other students in the major. “I view it as my way of giving back for all that they’ve done for me.”

Justin decided to stretch himself and try out for the US Cyber Team. After going through several long competitions, camps, interviews, and evaluations, Justin was chosen out of over 1200 applicants to join the US Cyber team alongside twenty-nine other members. The equivalent of the US team in the Olympics, Justin and his teammates will be competing in the International Cybersecurity Challenge in summer of 2023.

When Justin isn’t busy with school, work, and clubs, he enjoys hanging out with friends, playing video games, and soccer. He’s played on intermural and rec soccer teams as well as just having fun with others. He also really enjoys eating the different types of food found in Provo and Orem. While Justin loves eating food from all kinds of cultures and areas of the world, he especially loves eating the authentic Hispanic food he grew to love on his mission. However, he avidly hates Taco Bell and hopes to never eat there again.

Out of all the resources and groups on campus, his all-time favorite is the Cybersecurity Student Association also known as the Cyber Club. Not only is it the place where he feels like he learned everything, it has also been where he has found his friends. “The club is the foundation for all cybersecurity students’ technical skills and where we learn to grow and come to know each other.” He encourages any cybersecurity student to actively participate in its events.

During his first couple months at BYU, Justin didn’t have any friends. “I remember feeling like everyone was adventurous, outgoing, and wanted to do all these things and I wasn’t that way,” he says. For a long time, he felt alone, and it wasn’t until he pushed himself to meet people and others reached out to him that he felt like he finally belonged. While it can be hard to find friends within one’s major, Justin had two pieces of advice: One, stick with it; be patient and you will find those who are similar to you and will help you feel included. And two, be the person who reaches out to others instead of waiting for others to do it to you. “Putting yourself out there and including others may be exactly what you need to feel included.”

We’re grateful to Justin for his willingness to give back to his community and for the example that he sets for all the students in the College of Engineering.