First-generation student helps to unleash Alvernia's robot dog

Jaden Roman ’26, a recent graduate of the cybersecurity track of Alvernia’s computer science major, readily admits that being a first-generation college student comes with a unique type of pressure. For that reason, it was important for him to land in a place where he felt at home while earning his degree.

“I was really set on finding a university with a tight-knit community and small, personal classes,” Roman recalled. “Alvernia was by far the most welcoming campus I’d been to. When I attended one of the connection days, they treated me like I was already part of the community.”

Now he’s determined to show his younger family members what’s possible when enrolling in college.

“Higher education is also a massive commitment, and I knew that I had to make the most of each of my four years at Alvernia,” he said. “Thankfully, the university was very helpful throughout the transition.”

Roman seized many opportunities while pursuing his degree. Just one of those is acting as lead student researcher on Frankie, Alvernia’s robot dog. It’s a perfect fit as Roman’s interest in tech is ever-growing.

“I enrolled in 2022, which is right around when the huge AI boom occurred,” he explained. “We can see now just how explosive AI has been in popularity, and how it just keeps growing. Frankie came from the idea that digital threats are constantly evolving. The growth of AI is giving even amateurs immense power, and institutions should be prepared for the new threat landscape. If they’re evolving, the defense should be evolving, too.”

Frankie is equipped with surveillance and investigative tools, giving students an opportunity to research and discover what’s possible on the defense side of cybersecurity.

“Reactions to him seem to be a 60/40 split between adoration and pure fear, which has been funny to see,” Roman said. “I’ve had a blast learning how to operate a robot and manage a long-term project across multiple departments. The team has successfully equipped an onboard computer with digital forensics tools, and our current goal is full automation and patrolling.”

Most of that work and testing takes place in the program’s new cybersecurity lab in the John R. Post Center at Reading CollegeTowne, where Roman was a fellow at the O’Pake Institute for Economic Development and Entrepreneurship, an experience he called priceless.

“I’ve learned what it means to be a great team member and a leader,” Roman said. “The program really transformed my mindset and skillset during my four years at Alvernia. I’m much more confident in myself and my work. I’ve had the opportunity to work with many local businesses … developing websites and implementing AI agents.”

Roman entered the computer science major at Alvernia at a time of great change and restructuring, another experience he’s found to be extremely valuable.

“I saw the major split into multiple different majors, and a variety of different professors make their mark on the program until we settled on our current roster of professors,” he said. “Cybersecurity at Alvernia continues to grow rapidly with full classes, a new cybersecurity lab and AI-related courses on the way. The program prepared me to be successful as a professional in the industry, and I’m excited to see what it can do for future students.”