Defense Civilian Training Corps accelerates student opportunities in the Department of Defense

Sangmuk Kang believes the Defense Civilian Training Corps is accelerating his opportunity to serve the nation.

“Because I want to work in cybersecurity, I think a career in the Department of Defense will allow me to be closer to the action and really make a difference for our country,” Kang, a senior majoring in business information technology with a focus in cybersecurity. “I knew before I started this program that I wanted to work in the Department of Defense after graduation, so this gives me such a big head start.”

Kang is one of 30 Virginia Tech students taking part in the pilot Defense Civilian Training Corps program, which provides defense-related coursework and activities, as well as exposure to professionals working in the field.

“The guest speakers have been especially impactful for me,” said Kang, who is also a member of the Citizen-Leader Track in the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets. “To have someone who is in the job you want to have one day and who has been on that career path for 30 years come and give advice, but also talk about ways that they’ve messed up and ways that we can learn from their mistakes - that’s taught me so much.”

Virginia Tech was one of four universities selected by the Department of Defense's Acquisition Innovation Research Center to participate in the pilot scholarship and talent development program. The interdisciplinary pilot program is designed to attract students with an interest in national defense careers related to acquisition, digital technologies, critical technologies, science, engineering, and finance.

The program’s inaugural cohort began in this fall and applications to join the next cohort are now open.

Co-led by the Hume Center for National Security and Technology, part of the Virginia Tech National Security Institute, and the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets, the program provides students with full tuition and fees along with a monthly stipend and internship and job placement opportunities within the Department of Defense.

“It’s been a cool experience looking through all my options for the summer internship. Because there are so many interesting ones, it’s been hard to choose,” said Liz Johnson, a junior in geology with a minor in geographic information systems. “I have a very niche subject I study, so with my major in mind, I wasn’t sure if there would be many options that were relevant to me, but I was so pleasantly surprised.”

Students in the pilot program also have participated in activities outside of the classroom, such as their fall semester orientation that included team-building activities on the Corps of Cadets’ obstacle course and travel to  leadership-related conferences. 

“The whole program, but especially the out of the classroom activities, have really bonded us,” Johnson said. “All my other friends do very different things from what I do, so being in this program has really allowed me to interact with more like-minded people who have the same interests and are on the same pathway.”