CEHC Student Called up to Big Leagues Through MLB Information Security Internship

Cameron Felix stands in front of a welcome desk at MLB headquarters wearing a blue polo with his name badge attached.

Cameron Felix stands in front of a welcome desk at MLB headquarters in Manhattan. (Photo by Shannon Grey)

ALBANY, N.Y. (Aug. 13, 2024) — Cameron Felix might not have imagined a Major League Baseball career when he enrolled at UAlbany’s College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity (CEHC) as an informatics major.

But over the last few months, he’s learned there’s more to the big leagues than hitting home runs.

Felix, a junior at CEHC, was selected for a paid MLB internship this summer with its Information Security Team, which focuses on safeguarding the league’s critical digital assets.

The full-time, hybrid position reports to MLB headquarters in New York City and is closely connected with affiliated ballparks worldwide.

“CEHC, through assistant director of applied learning, Erin Couture, strongly encourages us to apply for experiential learning opportunities,” Felix said. “She shared that MLB was looking to hire information security interns this summer and I applied right away. It was a chance to apply my technical skills to an organization that I’ve always admired. Plus, I could say I made it to the big leagues.”

Cameron Felix wears a white polo and MLB tag, while meeting with his appointed mentor Andrew Ogg, an MLB tech services engineer. — Cameron Felix meets with his appointed MLB mentor Andrew Ogg, a tech services engineer. (Photo courtesy of MLB)

Felix said that every day looks different as an MLB information security intern.

He usually starts the day by monitoring security alerts, including any unusual activities or potential threats to the MLB’s information structure. If any security incidents are detected, Felix assists the response by analyzing the incident, helping contain the threat and supporting remediation efforts.

Outside of MLB headquarters, Felix’s team supports the league’s network environments across at stadiums across the U.S., along with international stadiums from the Dominican Republic to Tokyo. Each ballpark has thousands of access points that need to be monitored and managed regularly.

“Throughout my day I’m continuously monitoring network traffic for any unusual activity or potential threats,” Felix said. “I’m responsible for patch management, including regularly updating software and firmware to patch vulnerabilities. This helps protect the network from exploits and security breaches. We also manage user access to the network by ensuring that only authorized personnel have access to sensitive information and systems. I’m in constant communication with MLB personnel across the world.”

Felix’s internship comes with perks outside of the office too — like getting to attend his first big league game at Citi Field, the home of the New York Mets.

“Knowing that I’m playing a role in ensuring that MLB fans get the best — and most secure — experience possible at our ballparks has been extremely rewarding,” Felix said. “My own baseball fandom has also grown through this experience. It’s been a blast spending every day around the game.”

Before interning for the MLB, Felix spent six months as a technology intern at SUNYNet's Network Operations Center. He was also a teaching aide last year for a Python programming course at CEHC and is an active member of UAlbany’s student-run Cyber Defense Organization.

He credits the University for preparing him to make the jump to the corporate world.

“I owe all my successes to UAlbany,” said Felix. “Along with the professional development opportunities I’ve been presented through CEHC, my professors have played a major role in preparing me for this moment. It goes beyond just teaching us how to defend against cyberattacks, which they’ve done. We’re also being taught how to communicate advanced technical work to people outside our industry. All of it has given me an advantage to be successful.”