Less than 1% of Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) cadets nationwide are selected for the U.S. Army Cyber Corps—a highly competitive pathway into one of the military’s most critical and rapidly evolving fields. 51AV senior Ben Molloy is one of them.
But Molloy’s path to that distinction didn’t begin with accolades or leadership roles. It began, as he put it, with an “abysmal” social life during 2020 and the quiet uncertainty of starting college during a time when connection felt out of reach.
“Social life was abysmal; it did not exist,” Molloy said. “However, ironically, that’s when I met my wife.”
From those early days of isolation, Molloy built a college career defined by hard work and discipline. A triple major in cybersecurity, computer information technology, and applied software engineering with a minor in computer science, he balanced coursework with a student role in NKU’s IT security team, leadership in NKCyber Club, and a commitment to ROTC—each step bringing him closer to a future in cyber defense.
“I kind of felt like I owed something back to the country, so I decided to join the service Army, and then I started ROTC, and in about two or three weeks, I’m going to become an officer in the Army, which is pretty neat,” Molloy said.
Molloy is joining the Cyber Corp of the U.S. Army after graduation. There are options to go Active Duty, Army Reserve, or Army National Guard. He was also offered a full-time position with NKU’s IT team.
“I found that going reserve was best for me because I’m married and we want to settle down eventually, and all my family’s from around Cincinnati, so I don’t really want to leave. That means that one weekend a month, I’ll be doing my Army obligations, and then during the week, I’ll be working full time with NKU’s Security Team which is where I got my full-time position,” he said.
His academic, physical, and leadership efforts earned him a very rare and coveted position in the U.S. Army Cyber Corps—a position where less than 1% of nearly 6,000 Army ROTC cadets across the country are selected for this career path. This is not an accomplishment Molloy takes lightly, noting how important his role will be in helping defend the country.
“The leaders in the current military today need to be confident leaders that can stand in the front of a room and confidently lead and brief whatever they need to … Cyber is important in its own sense, because if your enemy can’t communicate because we’ve hacked into them, that’s what we want because it creates confusion,” Molloy said.
Molloy noted some of his most inspirational professors within the College of Informatics include Ken Roth and Dr. Ankur Chattopadhyay. Dr. Chattopadhyay has mentored Molloy over the last three years with a project called “Secrets”, a core outreach device the COI has used for recruiting high schoolers.
“We’ve done a number of panels, and we’ve talked with almost 300 high school students where we hosted Capture the Flag events with learning moments within it … he’s [Dr. Chattopadhyay] always made quite a bit of an impression on me to always keep on pushing because it’ll pay off in the end,” Molloy said.
Molloy is looking forward to life after graduation, although he knows the hard work doesn’t stop once he receives all three of his degrees.
“Generally in life, there’s going to be some times where I do have to push a little bit uncomfortably and do some very little sleep nights. I think no matter what happens, it’s still going to be better than what I’ve been pushing myself through the past six years, but it’s all paying off. I’d do it again if I had to make the choice,” he said.
