Derek Redmon is an Inland Empire native, born and raised in San Bernardino. So when he decided to attend California State University, San Bernardino, he knew he would be close to home and have the support of his family nearby.

“I used to do the summer camps at CSUSB when the basketball gym opened up and, you know, I kind of always wanted to be a Coyote, and now I’m here,” Redmon said.

But his path to becoming a Coyote was not a traditional one.

After working for years as a correctional officer, Redmon made the challenging decision to leave his longtime career and return to school. As a father, he wanted a career that would allow him to spend more time with his daughter while creating a better future for them both.

Returning to college meant balancing academics with one of his most important responsibilities: being a father. Redmon found support through the many resources available at CSUSB, including the on-campus Children’s Center, which made it easier for him to attend the classes he needed while knowing his daughter was safe and well cared for.

That support gave Redmon the opportunity to focus on his education while continuing to put his daughter first. It also helped reinforce something he came to believe throughout his journey: Starting over is possible.

“You can come back. You can bounce back,” Redmon said. “Once you feel that, once you understand it, once you get your feet wet, once you get here, you’ll understand that you can get through anything.”

Redmon set his sights on a career in cybersecurity. But when he first returned to college, he could not have anticipated how much his life — and his ambitions — would change.

While attending CSUSB, Redmon received a work-study position that helped support his education and college experience. He also gained valuable knowledge and encouragement from faculty, staff and classmates. Those relationships became an important part of his journey, helping him grow academically and personally.

“The way CSUSB has prepared me for my career — not only my career, but for me to even go to my master’s — this is such a special cybersecurity campus for me,” Redmon said. “We are the only campus that actually does penetration testing on a private network. No other campus is doing that.”

Among those who made an impact was one of his cybersecurity professors, Tony Coulson. Who is also executive director of CSUSB’s Center for Cyber and AI. Through the expertise of his professors and the hands-on experiences available to him, Redmon found himself challenged to take his education further than he had originally imagined.

“With my professors pushing me to take this next level, they’re saying, you know, ‘Continue your education. It’s important,’” Redmon said. “I feel that education is the gateway to other things.”

Having a community where those experiences were understood gave Redmon another source of connection and support as he balanced school, fatherhood and planning for his future.

What began as a decision to leave a longtime career and return to the classroom ultimately became something much bigger.

At CSUSB, Redmon discovered abilities he had not yet fully recognized. He earned his bachelor’s degree in information systems and technology with a concentration in cybersecurity, graduating cum laude. Taking his professors’ encouragement to continue his education to heart, Redmon is now pursuing a master’s degree in engineering and cybersecurity at the University of Southern California. Taking his journey from his hometown of San Bernardino to the next chapter of his future in cybersecurity.

Most importantly, he has created a new path forward — not only for himself, but for his daughter.