Triple Major Lands Microsoft Job, Credits Supportive College Environment

Marina Katoh is an extraordinary example of academic and professional achievement. The triple major in computer science, cybersecurity, and mathematics from The University of Tulsa (UTulsa) secured a software engineer position at Microsoft after graduating this spring.

Katoh's path to success was not always clear-cut. Initially planning to attend medical school, she discovered her passion for cybersecurity during an activities fair on campus. This newfound interest led her to participate in UTulsa's cybersecurity competition team and gain valuable hands-on experience through research with Assistant Professor Weiping Pei, Ph.D., and Professor Sandip Sen, Ph.D.

Katoh credits the supportive environment at UTulsa for allowing students to pursue their passions outside the classroom. She also praises her peers and professors for providing guidance during challenging times. 'All of the students around here are really willing to help other students succeed,' she said.

During her internship at Microsoft, Katoh worked on authentication systems, learned the Rust programming language, and helped create an interop layer for a C++ application. Her second internship focused on building a tool that would aid her security team in their work, saving them time and increasing efficiency.

Katoh's advice to students is to apply to big companies, as larger corporations have more openings and opportunities for interns. She emphasizes the importance of considering security aspects when coding software and applications systems, ensuring users are protected from potential threats.