Graduating from Guilford College later this month feels like Kevin Buikpor '24 is fulfilling his destiny.

The journey to graduation began when he was a student in Togo, a  West African country, studying English. The native French speaker knew he wanted to attend college in the United States, and learning to speak English was his first step. The first day of class the professor asked Kevin to present himself, and after stating his name, the professor said he believed Kevin would be great at cybersecurity.

“At the time I did not really know what I wanted to do as a career, so I applied to Guilford College to study cybersecurity,” Kevin says. “When I got my acceptance letter, it felt like that plan was meant to be.”

Once at Guilford, Kevin threw himself into his studies. He took as many computer classes as he could, which resulted in getting a double major in Cyber Network Security and Computer Technology Information Systems with a minor in Data Analytics.

In addition to his studies, Kevin also worked at the IT department at Guilford College. He’s the one to call when you need a problem solved. “There is a funny story of when a new employee was hired, and he told me he saw me at 10 different places helping people, all in that one day,” Kevin says. Whether its helping students load apps on their computers or setting up presentations at events, Kevin has been able to apply what he learned in class to help keep things running smoothly on campus.

In addition to the hands-on experience, Kevin has served as manager of the student IT team. He holds weekly meetings, gives the team assignments, and hears report from them. His role within the IT department has provided valuable experience that will serve him well as he looks for a job after graduation.  

If you ask Kevin to tell you his favorite class at Guilford College, the answer might surprise you. While he enjoyed all his computer classes, the one class that really made an impact on Kevin was the black and white photography class he took as a senior. “Going to the lab, developing film, really helped me find peace when I was the most stressed,” Kevin says.

Studying at a liberal arts school was important to Kevin. He is glad to have had the opportunity to take classes outside of his major that exposed him to new things. But one thing he loves more than anything is the beauty of Guilford’s campus.

Like many young people, what will happen after graduation is still an unknown for Kevin. But one thing he is sure about is that he wants to work in America, and has a goal to one day become a chief information security officer. Luckily, Kevin has the will and determination to make that happen. “Since coming to Guilford, I’ve become a much stronger person,” Kevin says. “I’ve had so many great experiences here on campus that have helped make me more confident in my ability to solve issues and succeed in life. I’ve learned that you have to go out and do the things you want to do, because if you wait, you will miss the opportunities.”