Alumni Spotlight: Anthony Ramirez

Anthony Ramirez will walk the stage this December as one of the first graduates to earn a Bachelor of Applied Technology in Cybersecurity from St. Philip’s College.

Anthony works for the U.S. Department of Defense. He began his academic journey when the COVID-19 pandemic began, taking all his classes online. He first earned two associate degrees, one in Information Technology Cybersecurity Specialist in Fall 2022 and another in Technology Network Administration in Spring 2023.

He then transitioned straight into St. Philip’s College’s bachelor’s program, finishing in August 2025.

“It’s a growing field, and a lot of people make beaucoup money,” he said. “We have such a heavy military presence in town, and I knew it would be easy to find a job.”

Encouraged by his supervisor, a veteran who stressed the importance of education, he pushed through years of long days and late nights.

Balancing full-time work and full-time school was incredibly difficult. I would work a full shift and come and do schoolwork. It felt like balancing spinning plates,” he said. “A lot of caffeine got me through, but professors and campus resources really helped.”

Inspired by his mother, the only person in his immediate family to hold a degree, Anthony said he wanted to go further than she had been able to. His next goal is to pursue a master’s degree in business administration with a focus in information technology management at Western Governors University.

“My courses at SPC opened my eyes to the possibilities available in my career,” he said. “One of the things I was able to do was work in virtualization and cloud computing. Eventually, I want to get into cloud networking.”

To students facing similar challenges, he offers encouragement.

“It will get difficult, but stick in there,” he said. “You’re going to experience a lot of classes that will challenge you, but your faculty and fellow classmates are there to help. Reach out and don’t be afraid. There are resources available. It will be worth it. It wasn’t easy, but my future has never been brighter.”