About Me
Cybersecurity student at UTSA with hands-on experience in networking, cloud, and security operations.
My Journey
I’m a cybersecurity student at UTSA currently in my junior year. My interest in cybersecurity started at Taft High School, where I completed a cybersecurity endorsement program and competed in CyberPatriot through JROTC.
When I began my associate’s degree at Northwest Vista College, I had to prioritize Business Administration courses to ensure my credits would transfer smoothly. Because of that, I no longer had a dedicated block of time for cybersecurity classes, which pushed me to take initiative and develop my skills independently.
To keep learning, I joined student organizations, attended lectures, and pushed myself through certification bootcamps. Outside of school, I spent time studying networking and cybersecurity through online resources. During this time, Professor Mathew Burch played a major role in inspiring my interest in cloud computing and AWS.
Through this self-driven approach, I earned certifications in CompTIA Tech+, Security+, Network+, AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner, and AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate before taking college-level cybersecurity courses.
I also helped build a networking lab through the Networking Club at Northwest Vista, contributing to a resource future students can use for hands-on learning.
After transferring to UTSA, I became involved in research groups through Cyber Jedis. In Cyber Warfare, I study APT groups and contribute to building an incident response playbook. In Threat Hunting and Intelligence, I’ve been learning about TTPs, SIEM operations, and the Incident Response Lifecycle under experienced professionals.
Today, I continue to grow through labs, research groups, certifications, and competitions, including my first CTF at RCC 2026.
