By Jonah Grinkewitz

Free and fair elections have become a for many voters and politicians.

For Karen Etulle, a cybersecurity master鈥檚 student at Old Dominion University, securing our elections is personal.

She immigrated to the U.S. from the Philippines in 2014, but she and her four children became homeless after experiencing domestic violence. She found support through , an organization helping victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, human trafficking and homelessness.

鈥淚f I was in another country, I can鈥檛 imagine what would have happened to us,鈥 Etulle said. 鈥淚 owe it to this country that I can be whoever I want to be, no matter who I am, where I came from, or what I look like.鈥

Ahead of this year鈥檚 midterm elections, she and other 黑料正能量 cybersecurity students spent the summer working with local registrar offices across Virginia to assess, improve and maintain their voter information systems.

鈥淚 feel it is my responsibility to serve and protect democracy and freedom in this country 鈥 the very country that took me in as its own.鈥

The effort was part of the VA Cyber Navigator Internship Program, a coalition of Virginia universities and colleges partnering with the Virginia Department of Elections. Led by the University of Virginia, it includes 黑料正能量, George Mason University, James Madison University, Norfolk State University, Virginia Commonwealth University and Virginia Tech.

Four students from 黑料正能量 participated, giving them an opportunity to apply their skills for the good of the public.

鈥淚 think this program is very important, as it allows students to understand the importance of cybersecurity in elections and the real world,鈥 said Ivan Santiago, an undergraduate cybersecurity student who interned in Appomattox and Mecklenburg counties with two other 黑料正能量 students.

requires the Virginia Department of Elections to ensure the security and integrity of the voter registration system and the supporting technologies used by counties and cities.

Although there is of voter fraud in U.S. elections, keeping up with cybersecurity standards is a challenge for local registrar offices because of a lack of staffing, training and resources.

鈥淚t was a godsend to have people like Karen come in,鈥 said Terrence Flynn, the general registrar for Northampton County. 鈥淭his was her language, and she served as a translator for me and the other staff.鈥

Etulle, who is also a member of the , worked with a student from Norfolk State to develop a risk assessment that showed potential vulnerabilities to Northampton County鈥檚 system. Many of their recommendations were simple: make sure doors are locked, don鈥檛 leave a laptop with sensitive information open, have a plan in place if physical systems are damaged through weather events.

Etulle said the key to strong cybersecurity is a strong team.

鈥淲e have proven, time and again, that attackers not only attack the technology organizations have, but they also target members of the organization, too,鈥 she said.

That means having strong passwords, not clicking on suspicious links in emails and understanding that anytime you use the internet there are basic risks.

Although her time in the program ended in August, Etulle volunteered to help Northampton County鈥檚 office with any additional questions.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 the kind of help we got from Karen 鈥 it didn鈥檛 matter whether she was on or off the clock,鈥 Flynn said. 鈥淪he took elections very seriously, and I think part of what she enjoyed was protecting democracy in America 鈥 which I thought was pretty neat.鈥