Posted on December 15, 2025 by Rosalinda Montero
From Bold Scholar to inaugural graduate, Anthony Quintero is charting a future in cybersecurity that includes military service and graduate study.
Anthony Quintero found his academic direction at The University of Texas at San Antonio, where cybersecurity became both a passion and a pathway to future service. This December, he will be among the first students to graduate from the College of AI, Cyber and Computing with a Bachelor of Business Administration in cybersecurity.
Quintero grew up in a military household and spent time in multiple states and in Germany before moving to San Antonio. When it came time to choose a university, Quintero said UT San Antonio provided the strongest opportunity.
“UTSA was the university that actually gave me the best opportunity financially, especially through the Bold Scholar program,” he said.
As a Bold Scholar, Quintero lived on campus his first year and quickly built a supportive network. The program provided housing assistance, tuition coverage and regular community activities that helped him feel connected and eased the transition to higher education.
“It really helped me build a strong network,” Quintero said. “It’s made a big difference for me, and my confidence has grown because of it.”
Quintero originally considered medicine and entered college planning for a career in health fields. A summer of exploration and conversations with advisors eventually led him to cybersecurity. After declaring the major, he said he became increasingly invested in the possibilities of the field.
“The more I researched and learned about cybersecurity, the more I understood it and the more passionate I became,” said Quintero.
That interest led to a competitive internship with ASRC Federal, a government contractor working with national security agencies. Quintero supported technical work for government partners, and the role took him to Reston, Virginia, for orientation at company headquarters. While the internship was mostly remote, the experience included obtaining security clearance credentials and gaining exposure to federal cybersecurity operations.
“It showed me that this kind of work really makes an impact,” Quintero said. “It was a great opportunity to gain hands-on experience.”
Faculty also shaped Quintero’s experience in the program. He credits Ian Burres, a professor of practice in the Department of Information Systems and Cybersecurity, for encouragement and academic support. Burres regularly recognized his work in class, which helped him overcome feelings of self-doubt.
“He always gave me a lot of praise, and that really boosted my confidence as a cybersecurity major,” Quintero said.
Burres said Quintero quickly demonstrated a natural ability to understand cybersecurity concepts and apply them in practical ways.
“Anthony approached every challenge with curiosity and determination,” Burres said. “He consistently pushed himself beyond expectations.”
The internship strengthened his confidence in pursuing cybersecurity as a career and introduced him to professionals with advanced academic backgrounds. Those encounters also shaped his future academic goals.
While graduate study is part of his future goals, he had already been considering military service before his internship. He enlisted as a reservist in the Air National Guard in August 2024 and is now completing the early stages of training.
“I can serve part time, just two days a month, while still holding a full-time job in San Antonio,” he said.
The path would also cover expenses related to his graduate education. In the near future, he plans to return to UT San Antonio to pursue a master’s in information technology with a concentration in cybersecurity. He also hopes to use his degree to commission as an officer in the Air National Guard, where he hopes to work in cyber operations.
His advice for students entering technical fields is to learn from every experience and seek opportunities early. Whether applying for internships or finding student communities, Quintero emphasizes persistence.
“Get uncomfortable with your goals,” he said.
UT San Antonio, he said, transformed his plans and provided the foundation for a career in cybersecurity while allowing him to stay rooted locally.
“UTSA has done a lot for me, honestly,” Quintero said. “I really do like the university, and I would recommend it to others.”
— Rosalinda Montero
