Tenholder, of Florissant, Missouri, is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity with minors in computer networking and computer science.

 She is captain of the Collegiate Cyber-Defense Club, vice president of the Cyber Defense Club, chairperson of the Jane Stephens Honors Program, and a senior ambassador and student worker with Southeast’s Office of Admissions. Tenholder is also an information security intern at the St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank, where she has accepted a full-time position in information security after graduation. 

Tenholder’s love for technology has existed all her life, documented as early as preschool, in a daily journal she kept that read, “I used the computer,” nearly every day. In high school, she joined dozens of extracurricular activities in technology and computer science classes. 

She was an active member of her school’s FIRST Robotics team, the Girls Who Code Club, the Cyberpatriot Cyber-Defense team, and Technological Honors Society, all while taking computer science classes at her high school and local university.

“No matter how much I did, I always wanted more,” she said. “There was always some sort of force pulling me to learn more and expand my knowledge of the field.”

When it came time to begin the university-selection process, Tenholder said cost was an important factor. Like everyone else, she wanted to have the least amount of debt upon graduation.

“Luckily, I was selected to receive the President’s Scholarship its inaugural year,” she said. “Southeast had everything that I dreamed of in a university, and I would be able to attend there without the constant worry of student loan debt.” 

She toured other schools and saw promise, but said when she toured Southeast, something just felt different.

“As I walked through campus with my tour guide, it just felt right,” she said. “I could envision myself spending the next four years of my life on the campus and in my program, and I was extremely excited.” 

At the beginning of her college search, Tenholder was not sure exactly what she wanted to study, but after speaking with a faculty member who taught cybersecurity during her tour of campus, she knew she’d found the right program.

“During that visit, I got to speak with someone from the cybersecurity program, and that’s when I mentally made my choice,” she said. “They were so passionate and enthusiastic about the subject matter that I couldn’t help being absorbed into the conversation.” 

Knowing that the Southeast Collegiate Cyber-Defense Competition Team had a good track record was a huge plus as well, she said.

Looking back, Tenholder said being captain of the team — now ten-time state champions — is one of the best things that has ever happened to her.

“It has enabled me to establish further connections within the Southeast community as well as the surrounding area,” she said. “I have regular conversations with faculty in my department as well as with the Student Government Association for funding, and Southeast President Dr. (Carlos) Vargas and Provost Dr. (Mike) Godard, and many more. I’ve also been able to develop relationships with a lot of businesses such as Circle Fiber, CrowdStrike, and Mercy, which has been amazing.” 

Most of all, she said, “I love being a role model for the members of my team. A lot of the members are younger, mainly freshman and sophomores, so I’ve been able to be a resource for both team-related things and our degree program overall. The cybersecurity program is relatively difficult, and I love being able to help them as much as I can.” 

One of the greatest highlights of her time at Southeast was the moment she found out the Cyber Defense Team had won the state championship this year.

“This was my third year competing on the Cyber Defense Team, and walking into the competition, I felt that we were more prepared than we ever have been in the past,” she said. “Hearing our name announced as the winner was probably one of the best moments of my entire life.”

Being a part of the team has also taken her skills and knowledge to the next level.

“I’ve been able to see all these things I was learning about in class being played out in a real-world environment, and I’ve been able to learn what it felt like to handle these incidents,” she said. 

During her time as a student ambassador in the Office of Admissions, Tenholder formed relationships with other student employees and Southeast staff. In particular, Tenholder said Southeast Admissions Campus Visit and Event Coordinator Casey Hohler has been an influential figure in her Southeast journey.

“My mom passed away my second year here at Southeast, and that eliminated all motivation I had for everything,” she said. “At the time, I was working as a student ambassador. Casey offered me some more hours in the Office of Admissions, and I accepted. At the time, I didn’t know it, but I wasn’t only accepting more hours — I was accepting a spot in the Admissions family.” 

Since then, she’s been promoted and found comfort in her newfound family. 

“All the student employees in the office joke that Casey is our unofficial mom, and she truly is,” she said. “I talk to her about my personal life, what is going on with my family, with school and more. Casey has a critical part in making my Southeast career as great as it has been, and I couldn’t imagine it without her.”

After graduation this fall, Tenholder will continue working for the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis with a small team in the Information Security division that is responsible for ensuring no security vulnerabilities exist in developing software applications. She is excited about the position and aspires to someday work in system administration or computer forensics.

The most noticeable change I’ve seen since starting at Southeast is my confidence, Tenholder said.

“I couldn’t have done it without the amazing people at this University. They taught me that my opinion and what I’m saying really matter, and that’s something that truly changed my life.”