Everyone knows Rakitha Perera (‘20 BS Graphic Design and Media). He’s worked for the Information Technology (IT) team for 18 years and is part of the unofficial UNLV welcome committee. If you don’t know him personally, you know his work. His photos, graphic designs, and videos are up on digital screens around campus, incorporated into classroom technology interfaces, and used frequently on websites and social media posts. 

Originally from Sri Lanka, the multimedia applications developer has made Nevada his home. UNLV holds a special place in his heart. He has spent half his life at UNLV as both a student and employee, and met his wife, Tiffany, here.

The man behind the camera is now switching lenses to focus on helping the university strengthen its defenses against cyberthreats.

A graduate student for the past two years, Perera is developing skills for a cybersecurity career. He recently conducted the first graduate student-run tabletop exercise to strengthen UNLV’s coordination and response to cybersecurity events. In December, we’ll be celebrating Perera’s accomplishments with him when he graduates with a master’s degree in cybersecurity.

What inspired you to pursue a masters degree in cybersecurity?

I don’t think it was one thing. I’ve always enjoyed tinkering with computers and figuring out ways to break and fix things from a young age. I added a ton of home automation elements to my house and setting those up safely and securely made me really look at cybersecurity in a whole different way.

My wife was my biggest supporter. She saw that I had a passion for cybersecurity and pushed me to pursue it as a career. We welcomed our first child this year, so my wife has been a rock, changing a lot of extra diapers lately while I study, which I’m sure I’ll need to return the favor. Plus, several coworkers and cybersecurity team members encouraged me. Talking to them about their own experiences and tips to balancing school, a full-time job, and family eased my mind.

It’s kind of a full circle for me, too. When I started college, I was enrolled in the electrical engineering program. I took a break from school to work at a drone startup company, where I saw how they secured communication channels between drones and controllers. That was probably the most cybersecurity thing I did back then, but never considered it as a main field of study.

When I came back to UNLV, I switched my major and earned my bachelor’s degree in graphic design, where I’ve put that to good use as a graphic designer turned multimedia applications developer for UNLV IT.

My journey may be a little unconventional. I pivoted many times, but come December, I’m proud to say I’ll be graduating with a master’s degree in cybersecurity.

How have you incorporated what you’ve learned along your journey in your current and future field?

Before I became a designer, I was a student employee in the early days of the classroom technology team. I was exposed to frontline services early on, troubleshooting technology issues, while gaining a greater understanding of what customers need in learning spaces.

When it comes to design elements, I know the pain points instructors are having on a day-to-day basis and use that knowledge for my designs. I helped our control systems specialist simplify the look of the control panel on the classroom lectern, making it more intuitive and easier for instructors to use the cameras, record lectures, and contact the help desk.

With cybersecurity, I carry the same lessons into those communications. People don’t like to be inundated with jargon they don’t and shouldn’t need to understand. Simple is always better. 

Tell us about the tabletop exercise you coordinated as part of your capstone project.

This was the first time a cybersecurity tabletop exercise was developed by cybersecurity graduate students for UNLV IT teams and campus executives to participate in. Having hands-on experience and knowing the campus, my capstone partner and I did an insider threat scenario where data was leaked from within the university. We made sure to tailor the exercise to UNLV in an effort to avoid the standard one-size-fits-all scenario.

As we facilitated the exercise, several sub-units in IT and other university departments were engaged in how they would respond to the data leak incident. I used my media design background to make things more interactive, simulating breaking news reports, phone calls, and social media activity. I also tapped into artificial intelligence to generate audio recordings since AI is being used more by threat actors to perform attacks.

Incident response is a crucial part of any organization. The tabletop exercise showed that cybersecurity events impact more than one campus unit and that communication, both internal and external, is key. It’s critical that everyone in an organization be aware of how to react to an incident and what’s at stake. If we’re not all prepared, it makes our response even more difficult.

IT leadership appreciated the homegrown spin on the cybersecurity tabletop exercise. In the end, it was a unique way for me to get job-related experience while I’m a graduate student. I gained valuable insights and plan to use what I learned from the exercise in my new cybersecurity career. 

What’s one common misconception people have about cybersecurity?

That it’s purely technical. Cybersecurity has so many aspects where even a non-technical person could really thrive in the field. Even though I consider myself a fairly technical person with an extensive IT background, my design and communication experience really gave me an edge.

I can take technical information and present it in a way that’s easy for everyone to digest and understand. The UNLV IT site is a good example. I’m able to take content in a document to come up with a design concept that appeals to the user. I know exactly what the site is capable of doing in the backend, making it easier for our web developer to build pages using my designs.

Tell us about an object in your office and what it represents to you.

I have a bunch of posters hanging in my office. My favorite ones are the two old school travel posters promoting Sri Lanka. I’m originally from there and it’s a nice reminder of my roots. Since I’m a designer at heart, I like the vintage 1950s design elements incorporated in both posters.

What is the most underrated part of campus?

Hands down, the far side of campus [North Mall]. I love the lush greenery and all the shade it provides when you need a walk during those hot summer days. The weeping mulberry tree by the flashlight is one of my favorite spots on campus. Walking inside that tree and just being surrounded by it takes me back to my childhood.

What’s your guilty pleasure?

When I was growing up in Sri Lanka, cricket was everything. I was hooked after watching the 1996 Cricket World Cup championship match on a small 20-inch television. Sri Lanka won the title for the first time, defeating Australia. Seeing people like me from this tiny island go up against the best in the world and win the Cricket World Cup was a defining moment in my life.

After that, I played cricket in the streets with my friends almost every evening, and when I moved to the states as a teenager, I continued to play the sport. I took a break from playing cricket while my wife was pregnant with our first child, so naturally I resorted to virtual reality cricket. Now, I play in the local cricket league on the weekends, sometimes competing against other UNLV students and employees.

I’ve learned many life lessons playing a team sport that I’ve applied to my career. Each cricket player has a specific role, whether it's batters or bowlers. Using your talents on the field and working together with your teammates is what makes a team successful. This is quite similar to what happens in the tech industry as there are a wide variety of skills involved.

Advice you’d give to your son about UNLV?

My main advice is to not think of higher education or a career as a single track path. If things seem like they don't work out or not a fit for him, pivot.

There's nothing wrong with taking a step back and realigning your goals. It might take some time and you may feel like you’re falling a bit behind in the rush of all these things, but at the end of the day, find what brings you joy.