By Kenneth A. Stewart

Winter Quarter graduate Francisco Gutierrez-Villareal receives his diploma from NPS' newest Hall of Fame inductee, retired Navy Cmdr. Everett Alvarez Jr., during the Winter Quarter commencement ceremony, March 27. Gutierrez-Villarreal is a graduate from the Salinas high school named in Alvarez's honor.

Alvarez and Gutierrez-Villareal share more than a mere high school connection, however. Both men are children of Mexican immigrants that came to work in Salinas' agriculture industry, and both completed their undergraduate studies on scholarship at Santa Clara University. The two also began their time at NPS in the Department of Operations Research (OR) – Alvarez as a student, while Gutierrez-Villareal spent his summer internship in OR.

But it was during that internship that Gutierrez-Villareal learned of the Monarch Scholarship, a Scholarship for Service program to encourage college students to enter the cyber security profession.

"I went to Hartnell to complete some math requirements with the intention of transferring back to Santa Clara to pursue a Ph.D. in economics. That's when I learned about the internship program at NPS," said Gutierrez-Villareal. During his time on campus, Gutierrez-Villareal further explored his interest in cyber security, and was awarded the scholarship that brought him back to NPS as a student in the computer science curriculum.

"Being from Salinas, it was very convenient," noted Gutierrez-Villareal. "The professors were great and I have gained some interesting experiences that have led me to do cyber security work for the government."

STEM Internship Program Manager Alison Kerr has worked closely with Gutierrez-Villareal throughout his time at NPS.

"He walked through a variety of doors that were presented to him, worked hard and has made us very proud," said Kerr. "Francisco's story reflects how the DOD benefits from embracing diverse communities."