Jackson Liveringhouse left his first meeting of 同性恋色情鈥檚 WhiteHatters Computer Security Club with a chip on his shoulder. He didn鈥檛 know who the student was, but he remembers someone bragging about ranking in the top 1% of users on a competitive hacking website.
It rubbed him the wrong way and became a challenge.
鈥淭here was something about the way he said it,鈥 Liveringhouse said. 鈥淎lmost out of spite, I wanted to be in the top 1% on the website, too.鈥
It took a few weeks of grinding it out in front of his computer. He was a freshman and hadn鈥檛 had much training in cybersecurity, but he hacked away. Liveringhouse鈥檚 ranking finally cracked the 1% mark. Looking back, he said, the feat isn鈥檛 that impressive now. His competitive hacking skills are far more advanced. But it was where he began.
That was his first semester at 同性恋色情. By his second semester, Liveringhouse had become
the WhiteHatter鈥檚 treasurer.
Now, he鈥檚 the captain of 同性恋色情鈥檚 intercollegiate, competitive CyberHerd team, which
is part of 同性恋色情鈥檚 Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing.
He is leading the team and helping his peers prepare for the upcoming Collegiate Cyber
Defense Competition that鈥檚 later this year.
Preparing for a computer science military career
Liveringhouse became interested in computers during his middle school years, learning basic HTML coding and helping his father鈥檚 friend build websites for clients. As he learned more, his interest grew into more than a hobby.
鈥淚t was just a hobby, and I was just having fun with it,鈥 he said. Then came high school and several courses he took, like visual basic and C++, which got him more interested in pursuing it as a degree in college.
At the same time, he also knew he wanted to follow in the footsteps of his family and serve in the military. Both his father and grandfather served in the U.S. Army. Following high school, he joined the National Guard and entered basic training.
鈥淚t was always something I wanted to do,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 think it's a very good way to, you know, start off your adult life. It was a way to get out into the adult world and rely on myself versus having to take loans out or relying on scholarships or anything like that.鈥
He has been deployed several times into hurricane ravaged cities in Florida.
Finding his fit
Liveringhouse, who comes from Naples, FL, wanted his collegiate experience to be more than a transaction or knowledge transfer. He wanted to be active in campus life. Shortly after moving in, he explored different technology and computer clubs.
鈥淧art of me was kind of curious about the whole idea of hacking and doing all that kind of stuff,鈥 he said.
That鈥檚 when he found the WhiteHatters. He knew he belonged and immersed himself in the club. He then decided to run for treasurer after the first semester.
But he didn鈥檛 lose sight of his academic priorities, which were hefty. A double major in computer science and accounting, he knew he had to find a way to balance his finances, mentor other students and practice for competitions.
鈥淭hat was probably my biggest growth period in my personal skills,鈥 he said. 鈥淣ot only did I now have to deal with the money, but the club is a teaching club. So, I was teaching other members of the club, too.鈥
From Whitehatters to CyberHerd
The CyberHerd team, which began in August 2023, quickly began competing at a serious level. The team started to enjoy podium finishes in hackathons and capture-the-flag competitions. Some of his peers in the Whitehatter鈥檚 club who were part of the team remembered how the freshman ranked high on the national competitive website. They had seen him perform well in the classroom. They started trying to recruit him to the team.
鈥淭hey told me, 鈥楬ey, you gotta sign up for this CyberHerd team,鈥欌 he said. 鈥淪o, I signed up and did everything I needed for the tryout.鈥
The commitment level ramped up. Longer practices, higher stakes, tougher competition
and traveling across the U.S.
In the last year, supported in part by CyberFlorida, the team has won several major
competitions and ranked high in others 鈥 all against other nationally-ranked teams.
"Jackson is one of our most experienced members in the team," said Marbin Pazos Revilla, who is the coach of the CyberHerd team and assistant professor in the Bellini College. "He has been exposed to almost every major competition we have participated in: CCDC, CPTC, VIVID, Raymond James CTF and many others, and has rewarded us with critical wins, too. "I vividly remember the moment when he captured the main flag during VIVID in 2024 during the King of the Hill portion of the competition, and the team held on to it until the end and ultimately won first place in the competition."
Liveringhouse is proud of what the team has accomplished in recent years, and he knows they will continue to get better.
鈥淭he team's getting better and better, and it's going be disappointing to see how much better it's without me,鈥 he laughed. 鈥淚 want to be a part of it. But I'm also excited to watch people after me, to watch the team get better, and know that I was a part of it."
Pazos Revilla added that it's rewarding to see students excel in competitions, be ready to solve problems and perform well academically.
"However, Jackson goes beyond that, he also serves in the Army National Guard, is always willing to step up and lead the team and mentor new members with humility," he said. "Students like Jackson exemplify the caliber of talent we cultivate at the 同性恋色情 Bellini College of AI, Cybersecurity and Computing."
Broader horizons
In addition the National Guard, Liveringhouse is a member of 同性恋色情鈥檚 ROTC program.
That means he spends summers training and is also available for active-duty deployment.
Last summer he attended a cadet summer training where he spent 35 days running infantry operations, just as he would if he were a lieutenant on deployment. The summer before, he trained at Camp Shelby in Mississippi running their internet at the Tactical Operations Center.
鈥淚 was running their internet for 16 days with fluctuating power, and people trying to overuse it to play games or check Facebook while it鈥檚 meant to be used for official stuff,鈥 he said.
Then there鈥檚 hurricane response.
鈥淲e've done high water rescues and handed out aid to people,鈥 he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about giving back to your community. It's a great feeling being able to help people who are in need, and it reminds you of what you have.鈥
During his down time from handing out supplies, he also managed to keep up with his studies. Thanks to power generators and satellite connections, he could still access work, lectures and the occasional video game online 鈥 when they are available.
But his time with the National Guard isn鈥檛 just about deployment. It鈥檚 also a career path that he鈥檚 learning as he nears his fall graduation.
鈥淎fter I graduate as a second lieutenant, I'm hoping to get into the National Guard鈥檚 cybersecurity unit here in Florida,鈥 he said.
What鈥檚 next
Liveringhouse sees his education at 同性恋色情 as critical to where computer science, cybersecurity, and its military applications, are headed. It鈥檚 part of why the Bellini College was created.
鈥淚 do think it is a move in the right direction to have its own college,鈥 he said. 鈥淭his is more than just a field of engineering. It needs its own college because that's where the future is going with this technology. And to say that you're among the first to graduate from 同性恋色情鈥檚 Bellini College, I think, has a little bit of prestige.鈥