DFEND Summer Internship

A partnership between ManTech International Corporation and the Academies of Loudoun

About

Students work to solve challenging individual and group projects focused on digital forensics, reverse engineering, data science, software development and hardware engineering.

2019 was the inaugural year for DFEND. Students had the opportunity to brief ManTech, Government and Academy instructors on their projects, how they approached the challenges and what they discovered in the process.

Projects

Student Testimonials

Being an intern this summer was really enjoyable and quite challenging. Whether you’re walking in with a ton of experience or none at all, there is a project to challenge you; be prepared to put in some serious work (I can also promise you’ll make a few friends along the way).
Allison, class of 2019
It was a wonderful opportunity and I can't wait to come back this next summer. All of the materials were masterfully crafted and made with us in mind, something that I really enjoyed.
Dominic, class of 2019
My internship with ManTech has been a real learning experience. Not only did it help me build relationships with the people I was working with, but it also helped shape me as a professional and an individual.
Shiny, class of 2019
The DFEND internship at ManTech exposed me to so many different facets of cybersecurity in such a short period of time. Working on the projects gave me real-world experience that improved my skills, and having the mentors there to guide us made the experience that much more educational and enjoyable.
Henry, class of 2019
I had a great time during the internship. It was a great way to learn to develop my skills, and find new pathways that interest me. The internship gave me a better understanding of the field, and allowed me to test my gained knowledge in various exercises.
Demetrius, class of 2019
Carson, please stop calling me. For the 50th time, I don't work there anymore.
Ben, class of 2019
The internship was great, I’m glad I chose it over other ones. The mentors were down to earth and I loved the focus on challenges. I learned a lot more than just straight technical skills.
Luke, class of 2019
The DFEND intership is a unique program as it challenges you to go beyond your interests and experiment with new ideas, especially in forensics. The problems are exciting, innovative, challenging, and make the atmosphere great as you try to work with different students and solve real-world problems that will make an impact in the computer science world!
Samarth, class of 2019
10/10 would corrupt a firewall again.
Caleb, class of 2020
This is the internship of a lifetime, the opportunity is something no graduating high school seniors will find. The projects were applicable to real life problems and the mentors are helping guide us in the right directions without giving the answers away.
Macayla, class of 2020

Logo Competition

During their time at ManTech, students will have the ability to create a logo to signify their summer experience. Any intern is welcome to submit a logo and we encourage you to include inside jokes, or other special identifiers that make your summer unique!


Congrats to our logo competition winners!

Badar A. - Summer 2019
Macayla K. - Summer 2020
Abhi B. - Summer 2021
Luke A. - Summer 2022