Viktor Akhonen

When Viktor Akhonen arrived at UMass Lowell as a first-year student, he knew he wanted to study computer science, but he had no particular interest in cybersecurity. He also knew that the best way to meet people, especially people who share his interests, was to join clubs and participate in campus activities.

When Akhonen attended a Cyber Security Club meeting soon after arriving on campus, he met some cool people and found out that they were recruiting new members for their competition team. “They kind of pulled me in a little,” he says. As he learned more about the team and the competitions, he found that he really enjoyed participating.

The team competes in several contests each year, but the main one is the Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (CCDC). Akhonen found the regional competition that year in the Northeast Cyber Defense Competition League a little scary, but the reward for sticking with it was big: UML came in third, the first time it had placed that high in the regional competition.

Akhonen sharpened his skills, as did the rest of the team; they finished first in the regionals in 2025 and went on to the national competition, where they finished among the top 10 teams. In the 2026 competition, they again finished first in the regionals, went on the national competition in San Antonio, Texas, and again were named top 10 finalists. 

“It’s genuinely fun,” he says of the team. “I just wish it were better-known among students, because it’s a good opportunity that some people are missing out on.”

The competitions are not hackathons, with all-night sessions fueled by junk food, but rather a multiday event with a more businesslike atmosphere. Akhonen says the team works business hours during the competitions, only meeting after hours to brainstorm and troubleshoot together. 

Akhonen has participated in other competitions as well, including a collaborative competition put together by UML and the insurance company MassMutual last year, as well as Hivestorm, a virtual competition. He helped with preparation and practices for the Collegiate Penetration Testing Competition (CPTC), which, while it has a similar competition format, is almost CCDC’s opposite.

“The CCDC is focused on defense, while the CPTC is focused on offense. You are acting as the hackers in the scenario,” Akhonen says. 

In the summer of 2025, Akhonen was an intern at Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), a global leader in technology integration and a partner in the Lowell Innovation Network Corridor (LINC), along with a dozen other UML students. The students worked together, Akhonen says, holding meetings across subteams with other interns who knew each other as UML classmates and teammates. 

Akhonen’s competition team experiences prepared him well for the internship, he says. Both his familiarity with the work and the fact that he was already deeply engaged in the field made the experience particularly enjoyable. 

“I think it’s a good example of how the competition translates into the real world,” he says.

Now a senior, Akhonen is beginning to think practically about his career choices after graduation. That he would like to continue in cyber security seems a given, but there’s a twist: Akhonen’s computer science coursework pathway has been through data science. He’s interested in AI and machine learning. 

“I’d be happy to get something in cybersecurity,” he says. “But ideally, I’d like to blend AI machine learning with cybersecurity, because they all interconnect.”

For Akhonen, stepping out of his comfort zone and attending a single club meeting opened up experiences he hadn’t imagined for himself and that shaped his four years at the university: “I know everyone says to get involved when you start at a new school, but it’s worth saying one more time.”