A former deck watch officer in the U.S. Coast Guard, Rachel Bayles says she chose to pursue a Master’s in SSP in the hopes of making the world a better place following 9/11. During her time in the program, Rachel enjoyed the location of the program in DC and the professors who “were working in positions of influence and inspiring the students to pursue excellence.” Following her graduation in 2006, Rachel pursued a technical degree in order to better position herself to become a cyber security analyst. Currently, Rachel works at the Laboratory of Atmospheric and Space Physics in Boulder, CO, where they design, build, and operate unmanned spacecraft. She credits her discipline, organization skills and tolerance for chaos to her success in her current job, skills that she gained from her time in SSP. Thinking back on those two years in the program, Rachel's advice to current students is to “Go see as many talks by world leaders and leaders in their field as you can find time for. It helps you remember that those are the footsteps you are supposed to be following. Having the opportunity to attend Georgetown is a great luxury and a great privilege, so set your standards high.”