Next stop, Microsoft: Triple major graduate shares secrets for success

When students start their college careers, they’re encouraged to “dream big” and “shoot for the stars.” Marina Katoh did just that. This spring, she graduated from The University of Tulsa with degrees in computer science, cybersecurity and mathematics before landing a job as a software engineer at Microsoft.

Katoh came to UTulsa with plans to attend med school after commencement. But during an activities fair on campus, she was introduced to cybersecurity, which opened new doors.

Each year, about 6% of the graduating class are double or triple majors – something that’s relatively rare at most universities. The supportive environment at UTulsa allows students to achieve not only their academic dreams but pursue their passions outside the classroom and then channel their successes into great jobs and prestigious graduate programs.

In addition to balancing three majors, Katoh performed in UTulsa’s Symphony Orchestra throughout her four years on campus. Practicing her violin provided stress relief when her courseload felt overwhelming.

Katoh had worked with Conductor Richard Wagner since she was in seventh grade and said he’s one of the mentors she will miss the most on campus. “I’ve known him for several years, and I will definitely miss our weekly practices,” she explained. “I will also miss my peers and professors who have helped me through rough times.”

Born in Japan and raised in Tulsa, Katoh joined a cybersecurity competition team at UTulsa, allowing her to travel to Tennessee and New York. She gained meaningful research experience through her work with Assistant Professor of Cyber Studies Weiping Pei, Ph.D., and Professor of Computer Science Sandip Sen, Ph.D. She also credits Instructional Assistant Professor of Cyber Studies Codi West, Ph.D., with being a supportive teacher who helped her cybersecurity team travel to various competitions.

“All of the students around here are really willing to help other students succeed,” she said. “And the environment is conductive for building creative thoughts. You’ll definitely find people who are motivated to create new systems or apply to difficult companies. This is a great place for obtaining some motivation that you need to be successful.”

Katoh gained hands-on experience with penetration testing and defensive security and enjoyed the creative aspects of computer science and coding. “When coding software and applications systems, it’s really important to also think of the security aspect, so that users would also be protected from possible adversaries,” she explained.

Advice that Katoh received from Instructional Assistant Professor of Computer Science Ian Riley, Ph.D., during her first year on campus proved to be crucial to her early career: “Apply to big companies. Just go for it, since larger companies have more openings and opportunities for interns.”

With that in mind, Katoh spent two summers interning at Microsoft. “During my first internship, I was able to help with the authentication system within Microsoft,” she said, “and so I was able to learn the Rust programming language and help create an interop layer for a C++ application. And my second year, I helped to build a tool that would help my security team with their jobs and save more time for them.”

Before graduation, Katoh was offered a full-time position as a software engineer in Redmond, Washington, near Seattle where Microsoft’s global headquarters are located. “When I got the email, I had to walk around campus for like 20 minutes to process it, and it made me appreciate all the things that UTulsa had taught me throughout the years,” Katoh said.

As a scholarship recipient, Katoh expressed gratitude for UTulsa’s donors who invest in students like her. Now, she plans to do the same for future students.