Christopher Bisignano Jr.

Brewster, New York, resident Christopher Bisignano Jr. knew he wanted to pursue a career in technology one day, but the question was how to make that dream a reality and where? After looking into some of his college options, Bisignano said he chose Western Connecticut State University and the reasons were simple: “WestConn offered convenience in terms of being close by to my home,” he said. “It also had one of the only accredited business schools in the area that offered a degree in Cybersecurity. That pulled me in, and I was really interested.”

Bisignano, who will graduate in May 2025 with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Cybersecurity from WestConn’s AACSB-accredited Ancell School of Business, has absolutely no regrets about pursuing his goals at WestConn. “Once you complete your general education courses and get into the courses specific to your degree, you will find that your professors are the smartest people you will meet in your field of study, and I am so grateful for this school.”

Bisignano, who is completing his degree program in three-and-a-half years, continued, “From my professors Stephen Cunningham, who taught us so much about how to hack and defend, to Ken Lynch, who taught me everything I needed to know about digital forensics, to Dr. Tom Yoon, with his knowledge of virtual networks — they have been the most amazing people along my journey.”

When he enrolled in January 2022 as a Cybersecurity major, Bisignano acknowledges that at the time, he had “no clue as to what that would entail.” Some of his questions were answered when the university’s Career Success Center guided him to LinkedIn to pursue an internship at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals in Sleepy Hollow, New York. “I learned so much about cybersecurity and how it works,” he said. “And this was a fully paid internship in the summer between my junior and senior years at WestConn. I also was able to obtain Splunk, Anomali, SafeBreach and Qualysis certifications through this internship.”

Another benefit derived during his time at Regeneron was that Bisignano met student interns from other nearby colleges who also were interested in Cybersecurity. After speaking with one of them, he learned that their university had a Cyber Tech Club and he decided to start a similar organization at WestConn. “I had to get approval from the Student Government Association, and once I met all the requirements, I was able to start the club and have our first meeting in November 2024,” he said. “I’ve been holding workshops and bringing in guest speakers, including my mentor from Regeneron, Vlad, and we have about 12 regular members at our meetings now.”

In addition to his time invested in the Cyber Tech Society, Bisignano works part time at the university’s Information Technology & Innovation Help Desk, troubleshooting work tickets. He also is employed at JRO Technology in Danbury, an IT consulting service, where he performs server maintenance and similar tasks on-site for JRO’s clients.

One of his most rewarding endeavors, he said, is his work as a WestConn Peer Academic Support Services (PASS) Mentor, where he provides support to fellow students who may be struggling academically to help them get on track. “This semester, I am working with two Cybersecurity majors who really want to succeed, and I am having the best time helping them,” he said.

With graduation approaching, Bisignano is exploring his career options at both JRO Technology and Regeneron. His words of wisdom for incoming students are straightforward: “Go for an internship as soon as possible in your college career. It makes a huge difference.”

Western Connecticut State University changes lives by providing all students with a high-quality education that fosters their growth as individuals, scholars, professionals and leaders in a global society. Our vision: To be widely recognized as a premier public university with outstanding teachers and scholars who prepare students to contribute to the world in a meaningful way.