Five DSU students named as SBS/Gamewell Family Scholars

Abigail Witt (seated left), Sara Stehlik, Alexis Kulm, Janessa Palmieri, and Mary Simmons. Also pictured are Drs. Pam Rowland and Ashley Podhradsky from The Beacom College of Computer and Cyber Sciences. Dakota State University

Five students at Dakota State University in Madison have been awarded scholarships to further their education in cybersecurity.

SBS CyberSecurity, LLC and the family of CEO Aaron Gamewell sponsor scholarships for DSU students. This spring, five young women have been awarded the SBS CyberSecurity and Gamewell Family Endowed Scholarship. SBS is a Madison-based cybersecurity consulting and audit firm.

SBS president Chad Knutson said the scholarship program is critical for two reasons. He said there is a growing need for cybersecurity talent and these students must get prepared to address the need. The other reason aligns with SBS’s goal of “helping businesses make better cybersecurity decisions”.

This year’s scholarship awardees include: Alexis Kulm, cyber operations major from Sioux Falls; Janessa Palmieri, a cyber operations major from New Hampshire.; Mary Simmons, a cyber operations major from West Des Moines, Iowa; Sara Stehlik, a network and security administration major from Illinois; and Abigail Witt, a computer science and math major from Hartford.

The SBS/Aaron Gamewell endowment scholarship began in the fall of 2018. Over the last two years, 13 students have received the scholarships, totaling more than five-thousand dollars.