Ryan Stanton is the 2026 President’s Distinguished Scholar for the Pueblo campus.
Ryan earned his associate degree in cybersecurity. Maybe that conjures up images of a person who spends most of their day interacting only with a computer screen. That’s not Ryan.
He’s serious about his profession, no doubt – so much so that when he worked in the food service industry, he would spend his lunch breaks studying cybersecurity to educate himself and figure out how to go back to college and get his degree.
But ask why he came to PCC, and – after he’s done praising his instructors – he will tell you about the people he’s met, the extracurricular activities, the opportunities to connect with humans instead of just a computer network. His explorer’s mentality extends to off-campus interests like hiking, meditation, reading, and yes, video games, with his four dogs along for life’s adventures.
As he begins his career, Ryan will also be continuing as a PCC student to complete his bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity. He would eventually like to contribute to his community by creating his own IT business or becoming a security publisher and journalist.
His advice to prospective students is, “Just say yes! You never know what it could lead to.”
