The University of South Florida’s CyberHerd team will be featured in a new documentary, “The Making of a Defender,” which premieres on September 24 at the Marshall Student Center’s Oval Theater on the Tampa campus before becoming available on YouTube. The film documents the team’s journey through the 2024–25 national collegiate cyber defense competition season and highlights their diverse backgrounds and skills.
Michelle McAveety, one of this year’s team captains, said, “Our different backgrounds and talents bring something unique that comes together perfectly.” She added that she is excited for viewers to get a behind-the-scenes look at cybersecurity competitions. “I didn’t know what a cybersecurity competition really looked like before I got to the CyberHerd. This will give them a first-hand view into our world.”
Sriram Chellappan, professor in the Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing and faculty advisor for CyberHerd, described the documentary as an important opportunity to showcase both the work students do in competitions and their activities outside them. “It is an enormous honor for the CyberHerd to be featured in such a way,” he said.
CyberHerd members compete in challenges that simulate real-world cyber threats, with teams taking either offensive or defensive roles. They score points by identifying vulnerabilities or defending networks under pressure.
Marbin Pazos Revilla, assistant professor and coach for CyberHerd, hopes the documentary increases recognition for these students’ efforts. “When our football team wins, they are all over the news,” he said. “Well, these are our cyber athletes. They do similar things. They also overcome hardships, respond to their academic demands and responsibilities, and spend many, many hours working at their craft to reach competitive levels.”
CyberHerd will also participate in CyberBay 2025 from October 13–15 in Tampa—a summit that brings together students, industry leaders, and government officials to address issues related to digital defense and artificial intelligence.
Retired U.S. Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie leads Cyber Florida—the state’s cybersecurity center based at USF—and believes initiatives like this documentary can help grow USF’s cybersecurity program under the Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing. He commented: “The United States runs on a cyber backbone… So, the security of the web and the internet is vital to all of us. Teams like CyberHerd allow programmers and coders to have a real-world opportunity to work in dynamic learning environments where challenges arise that mirror what’s going on in the real world.”
CyberHerd was established in August 2023 within USF’s Department of Computer Science and Engineering (now part of Bellini College) after university leadership recognized a need for a group focused specifically on competitions rather than advocacy alone.
Sudeep Sarkar, interim dean of Bellini College and distinguished university professor, explained: “We realized that to go to the next level we really need to form a group specifically that will be focused on competitions, and we will train them… So, that’s when the CyberHerd was started.”
Rex Wilson from Cyber Florida noticed CyberHerd’s progress during competitions—prompting him to initiate production of this documentary with filmmaker Kevin Echemendia from Two Stories Media. The filmmakers followed the team between January and May 2025 across meetings and contests—recording about 200 hours later edited into a 75-minute feature.
Beyond technical skills, filmmakers wanted viewers to see another side of these students—emphasizing their interests beyond technology such as music or sports—and challenging stereotypes about hackers.
Filmmaker Kevin Echemendia observed: “But they were a great group of colorful individuals who defy stereotypes and prove that cybersecurity is a career for people with all types of passions.”
McKenzie stressed broader implications: “Cybersecurity is important to us whether we choose to acknowledge that or not… Our nation depends on it. USF through its cybersecurity students is going to become an increasingly important part of… national security…”
Admission for Wednesday’s premiere is free but requires advance ticket reservation via Eventbrite.
