Opportunities Abound
College of Business Students Makes the Most of Their University Experience Inside and Outside the Classroom
Idaho State University is full of opportunities for students to find their ROAR - their passion, their mission, their fulfillment. We want students to elevate their careers, embrace the future and do more than they ever thought they could. While this idea of self-discovery may sound a bit abstract or even intimidating to students, sometimes it’s as easy as just saying “yes” to the opportunities presented to you – this was the case for two ISU College of Business students, and now graduates, Ethan Freeburne and Matthew Alonzo.
Ethan Freeburne, BA Accounting 2025
Freeburne’s work was noticed by many College of Business professors, including Associate Professor of Informatics, Dr. Bob Houghton, who advised Freeburne to pursue an honors thesis after Freeburne took his INFO 4150 class as part of the information systems certificate. They started research focused on cybersecurity systems that small businesses could implement, specifically "honeypots."
“Honeypots act as a decoy system that distract hackers and other ‘internet bad guys’ from a company's actual network,” said Freeburne. “We ran three separate honeypots, with two running on Raspberry Pi devices (mini computers) and one on a virtual machine on an old laptop.”
Freeburne presented the project’s findings during his formal thesis defense in March. “It was a great learning experience that really complimented my accounting degree,” said Freeburne. “Accounting people use a lot of software and technical applications. They also interact with IT people for audits and projects, but they don't always know how the technology works.”
In addition to his thesis work for the Honors Program, Freeburne participated in the International Collegiate Business Strategy Competition. This rigorous competition challenges top-level students from around the world to complete 12 quarters (three years) of simulated business decisions expedited over the course of a semester, in addition to submitting a formal business plan and annual report. Students travel to Anaheim, California, for an intense 72-hour competition against their peers, followed by a formal presentation to executive-level judges from companies throughout the western United States. Freeburne was part of the undergraduate team that won Best Overall Performance and Best Written Documents. Adding in the graduate team’s wins of Best Overall Performance, Best Written Documents and Best Presentation, this brought ISU’s trophy count to 24 in ten years of competing.
“ISU is full of hidden gems, and I'm grateful I was able to explore so many opportunities and take risks that made my time at ISU special,” said Freeburne. “The College of Business faculty are full of the most brilliant, caring people, and I would not be where I am today without their support. I can confidently say my time at ISU and the College of Business set me up for personal and professional success.”
Matthew Alonzo, BA General Business 2025
A California native and first-generation college student, Alonzo set his sights on a bachelor’s degree from ISU due to its proximity to outdoor recreation, family, and its scholarship opportunities. Originally interested computer science, Alonzo realized his interests really lied in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning - specifically helping businesses implement these systems strategically and successfully. This passion led him to the College of Business.
“I had several professors that were incredibly knowledgeable and student-focused,” said Alonzo. “Once they learned about my interest in AI, they went out of their way to tailor and connect my learning experience with it.”
One of these professors was Professor of Finance Dr. Ann Hackert. “I took an AI and financial management class from Dr. Hackert, which then turned into an independent research project. I was even able to present our findings, titled ‘AI-Assisted Financial Insights on a Budget: A Comparative Study of Locally Hosted LLMs,’ at the ISU Research and Creative Works Symposium.”
Alonzo’s tailored experience continued throughout his academic journey. From a marketing and personal branding class with Dr. Haley Hardman, who connected him to a colleague with an AI background, to his advisor in TRIO, Reinalyn Echon, who helped him with financial aid and professional development, someone was always there to encourage him to pursue his passion. Alonzo is now working as an intern at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) in their project management office helping with risk assessment - utilizing AI to do so.
“My knowledge and interest in AI really caught the eye of the department director during my interview,” said Alonzo. “What I learned during my time at ISU is tying directly in to the work I’m doing at INL now.”