Grad Makes ‘Intelligent’ Choice With Lockheed Career

Everything from the precision of military strikes to global money markets hinges on timely, accurate information, or, as it’s known in the trade, “intelligence.”

Alanna Fulk ’16, M.A. ’19, is keenly aware of that now as an intelligence analyst for one of the most prestigious intelligence and security corporations in the world, Lockheed Martin.

But that wasn’t always the case. Fulk had nominally chosen political science as her minor when she came to UCF, but it wasn’t until she discovered the Intelligence Community Center for Academic Excellence that her vision for the future crystallized.

“That discovery changed everything for me,” recalled Fulk. “Once I took advantage of the opportunities and connections the Center offers, I knew in my heart that all I wanted to do was work in the field of intelligence. I had never been more intrigued by what I was learning.”

Landing an internship at the Defense Counterintelligence Security Agency in Huntsville, Alabama, during her graduate career opened many doors for Fulk. She also credits the hands-on classes at UCF for steering her toward her current position on the risk integration team at Lockheed Martin.

Specifically, her classes ran various scenarios and simulations of real-life situations that forced students to critically think about their responses. Fulk also learned how to prepare and present intelligence briefs.

“If we didn’t have these hands-on classes that are structured to teach you for the real world, I wouldn’t have been as prepared for what I was faced with,” Fulk said. At the time you don’t realize how integral this is, but once you are out in the real world and you’re doing what you have been taught to do, that is a pretty cool feeling.”

Now a mentor to undergraduate students in the School of Politics Science, Security and International Affairs and a member of the UCF Young Alumni Council, Fulk continues to make the most out of her experience as a knight.

“Connections are everything,” Fulk said. “While I continue to work here in Orlando at Lockheed, I want to make sure that I am keeping in touch with my roots and my school. Staying involved helps in facilitating those key connections you may need in the future. Plus, I just love UCF and everything about it.”