LBCSI
LOYOLA BLAKEFIELD CYBER SECURITY SUMMER 2025 NEWSLETTER
Foreword This summer, LBCSI has been highly active; not only at home, but also abroad. We secured 1st place at the Royal Thai Armed Forces Cyber Challenge, rebuilt the network for a high school in Micronesia, hosted a cyber training summer camp, and have organized this year’s guest speaker series. We are excited to share what LBCSI has accomplished this summer and the events planned for the 2025-2026 year!
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What did you do over the summer? It’s a common question heard across campus as our community begins a new school year. There are always many stories to share—summer vacations, time spent with family, learning new skills, and internships. This year, I’m once again blessed to hear stories that go beyond the ordinary: “How did you have a positive impact on the world this summer?” As LBCSI enters its 14th year of operation, I continue to be humbled and inspired by the dedication of our students, alumni, and benefactors who believe in our mission. In this edition, you’ll read about LBCSI members who completed a service trip to Micronesia, met with alumni in Japan, and participated in a delegation representing the United States in Thailand. Competing in the Royal Thai Armed Forces Cyber Warrior competition was a fantastic experience—and winning was incredible. However, the competition was just one part of the story. Our work in Thailand continues, as LBCSI becomes the training partner of the Sarasas Ektra Catholic School system, which serves over 80,000 students. The team is thrilled to share their passion and skills with like-minded students. Thailand is now the latest place where LBCSI is leading the way in youth cyber education. While reflecting this summer, I revisited an article I wrote years ago about why I believed the Jesuits “created” cybersecurity. The events of the past 13 years have only strengthened that belief. St. Ignatius founded schools to improve society and teach the skills needed in the world. Today, cybersecurity remains at the forefront of what society needs—and we are proud to be global leaders in this space. We look forward to working with our many partners this year and are excited to meet new ones as we continue to have a positive impact on the world. LBCSI Founder, Steve Morrill
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Thailand Over the summer, Matthew Kocorowski ‘26, Emmett Omrom ‘25, and Connor Counselman ‘26, alongside Mr. Steve Morrill and Mr. Andy Flood, returned to Bangkok, Thailand, representing the United States at the Royal Thai Armed Forces Cyber Warrior Competition. After nine hours of competition, Team Axios secured 1st place overall. Team Axios competed in the military division alongside 87 other teams, forging their way through both blue and red team challenges. The other teams competed from around the globe, representing the U.S., Thailand, Australia, Singapore, and Vietnam. During the competition, the team met with the Deputy Chief of the Thailand Military . The awards were presented by two members of the Thailand Military: Special Group Captain Narongchai Nimitboonanan (Director RTArF CSC) and Special Colonel Yuttasin Parsookmoon (Deputy Director RTArF CSC).
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The team also returned to the Sarasas Ektra School where they had donated the previous year’s winnings in order to start a student cyber initiative in Bangkok. Team Axios donated their winnings again to continue the program. Mirroring LBCSI’s origins, the Sarasas Ektra School’s cyber program has been started by six founding members. During their visit to the school, LBCSI began talks of running an LBC2 style competition for students in Bangkok wanting to develop their CTF skills. As planning has continued over the summer, the competition has begun to take shape and will occur in the summer of 2026 when LBCSI returns in July. Currently, multiple LBCSI members are assisting the school via remote training sessions.
Watch the Royal Thai Armed Forces Cyber Warrior Competition here: Part 1 Part 2
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Micronesia From June 26th to July 11th, Kai Cooke ‘26 and Billy Nicholson ‘26 embarked on a service trip to Xavier High School on Weno Island, Micronesia, in order to entirely replace the school’s network. The team managed to rebuild, test, and complete the project, all without outside help or supervision. The network is not only for the school and will also provide internet access to local residents of the island. “When we initially arrived, we had little to no knowledge of what to expect. However, we were well equipped with knowledge from our time at LBCSI and through studying certifications, so everything went way smoother than we expected. We’re really glad to have been able to have this opportunity to travel to Micronesia and help fix their network.” - Kai Cooke ‘26
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“Micronesia was a very challenging project considering how much information about the network was impossible to learn in advance, and how much we had to adapt while being in an environment different from what we’re used to back home. However, it was extremely rewarding for us to utilize the skills that we’ve developed through our own studies and LBCSI to serve in such a special way, and to help provide a functioning internet connection across the campus, giving a better education to hundreds of students like us. I plan to seek out similar opportunities in the future to serve using my skills wherever and whenever I can.” - Billy Nicholson ‘26
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Guest Speaker Series LBCSI has put a lot of careful consideration and planning into the 2025-2026 year guest speaker series. Below are the currently scheduled speakers: September 24th: Lieutenant Commanders Ridge Lortz + Gus Moreno Ridge Lortz and Gus Moreno are both Loyola Blakefield Alumni from the class of 2010. Lieutenant Commander Ridge Lortz currently works as an engineer and ship builder for the U.S. Coast Guard. Lieutenant Commander Gus Moreno - Cloud and Data Deputy Branch Chief at the Coast Guard’s C5I Service Center (C5ISC) in Alexandria, VA. October 2nd: Dan Gardner + Andrew Bartels Dan Gardner currently is a venture capitalist after selling his company, and Andrew Bartels is the CEO of PS Advisory LLC. January 29th: Jasper Graham Jasper Graham currently works as the Global Deputy CISO, Bank CISO, and Global Threat Hunt Lead for Morgan Stanley. February 20th: Charlie Hale Charlie Hale is a midshipman in the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD, and a former member of LBCSI from the class of ‘23. March 26th: Brigadier General Reid Novotny Brigadier General Novotny is Director of Intelligence and Cyber Effects Operations in the Maryland National Guard.
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April 14th: Evan Dornbush Evan Dornbush is a local entrepreneur and has founded multiple companies. He currently is working on a cybersecurity startup, Desired Effect, and runs a podcast called Hackers on the Rocks. We look forward to hosting all of these incredible speakers and are grateful for their time and support towards LBCSI. Community members are welcome to attend our speaker series at 3:15 in the Ignatius Hall Lab.
Summer Camp From June 23rd to June 27th, Emmett Omron ‘25 and Aidan Bossle ‘27 taught and managed the 2025 Intro to Cyber Science and Cyber Science Challenge summer camps alongside Mr. Morrill. Students between the ages of 11 and 16 discovered and learned topics ranging from cryptography to OSINT (Open Source Intelligence), and received hands-on experience through securing Linux and Windows operating systems.
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Alumni Spotlight Tim Krach ‘16 Tim graduated from Loyola in 2016, earned his undergraduate degree in computer science from the University of Maryland, and taught English in Japan for 2 years. He currently works as the sole pentester for Hitachi in Tokyo, and helped organize the car hacking village at Defcon 2025. During this year’s Thailand trip, LBCSI met with Tim in Tokyo and discussed ways to connect LBCSI with schools in Japan to further expand the reach of global cyber education.
Jack Wachter ‘24 Jack has started his second year at Georgia Institute of Technology and worked for Lockheed Martin Space as a software engineering intern over the summer. In addition to his studies in computer science, he continues to work on his cybersecurity startup, AerLock, which recently received its first round of investor funding. His software is an automated solution to defend entire organizations in real time using AI. For more information, visit https://www.aerlock.com/.
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Casey Nazelrod ‘25 Over the summer, Casey Nazelrod '25 took on the task of developing technical infrastructure for Finback 670, where he managed both a database and client website. He utilized Supabase to structure and maintain the firm's data, while developing a Next.js-driven website that unified their online operations and improved accessibility. He continues to build software solutions while studying at the University of Florida.
Certifications Several LBCSI members attained professional certifications over their summer break. We would like to thank our sponsors, specifically the St. John Foundation, for providing us with the opportunity to take these exams without cost. Congratulations to Sebastian Rugas ‘27, Ryan McLean ‘27, Preston Starner ‘28, Grayson Wyss ‘27, Liam Yates ‘28, Grant Benegas ‘28, and Sean Henyan ‘28 for successfully passing the CompTIA Network+ certification and Ryan Martin ‘28 for successfully passing the CompTIA A+ certification.
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Upcoming Events National Cryptologic Foundation Cyber Feud On November 12th, the Maryland Cyber Feud event will be hosted at Loyola Blakefield and will be sponsored by the National Cryptologic Foundation. The competition will be based on cybersecurity related family-feud style trivia questions and will see various schools from Maryland compete.
National Cryptologic Foundation Conference
LBCSI will be attending the National Cryptologic Foundation Conference on
October 17th. As part of the conference, LBCSI will present the program, our current plans for the year, and our future endeavors. Members will also participate in the speeches and activities throughout the day.
LBCSI Insignis Retreat
The Insignis Retreat is LBCSI’s annual team-building experience. The retreat will
take place on October 14th, and will serve as an opportunity for club members to more deeply understand the Loyola Blakefield Cyber Science Initiative. Members will take part in group activities, exciting games, and a dinner as they celebrate the beginning of the 2025-2026 year and all of their fellow LBCSI members.
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LBC2 The 9th annual Loyola Blakefield Cyber Challenge is back on for March 14, 2026, with various LBCSI members already starting to build content. LBC2 is a CTF-based cybersecurity competition made entirely by students, for students. The competition is open to all experience levels. With two divisions, advanced and beginner, CTF veterans and first-timers alike can enjoy LBCSI’s flagship competition, complete with free food and prizes. Registration is now open at lbc2.org. Please e-mail lbc2staff@gmail.com with any questions.
School Presentations If your school or anyone you know would like LBCSI students to deliver a digital awareness presentation regarding social media use, digital footprint, online safety, and reputation, please reach out to rcwachter2026@loyolablakefield.org, jhballard2026@loyolablakefield.org or smorrill@loyolablakefield.org. We would love to visit new schools, students, and parents!
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A continued thank you goes to Edward St. John Foundation President, Ms. Sharon Akers, and all of our other sponsors. We appreciate your continued interest in the development of our cyber students, and we look forward to continuing our work with you in the future. Thank you all for
taking the time to read this year’s 2025 Summer Newsletter! Your continued interest and support is what makes our efforts possible. As always, Roll Dons Roll! We hope you are all doing well. Have a great Fall!
Thanks again, Ryan Wachter ‘26, James Ballard ‘26, Mr. Steve Morrill, The entirety of Loyola Blakefield’s Cyber Science Initiative
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