Class of May 2029Orlando, FL · Huntsville, AL
Hugh Nguyen
Security Software Engineer
Computer Engineering, minor in Intelligence and National Security, at the University of Central Florida.
Burnett Honors College. 3.917 GPA, graduating May 2029.
About Me
Class of May 2029
May 2024 – PresentWhy security
I was drawn to national security through my first job at CyberProtex, where they gave me hands-on experience with tooling used in the government, cybersecurity evaluations, and real-world experience with writing software.
This experience from building out the eMASS Simulator, dealing with ransomware alerts, and building security tooling has fueled the fire in my heart about national security. I'm in this field because I genuinely love coming up with solutions to problems by utilizing software and hardware. It's even the reason that I added on an Intelligence and National Security Minor onto my Computer Engineering Major.
You can teach skills to anyone competent enough, but you can't teach drive, mentality, and accountability.
Owning what I build
The aspects that make me qualified aren't just my technical experience, adversarial track record, self scrutiny, and suitability, but also my commitment to owning what I build.
Every day of my life I've striven to do as much as I possibly can and then some.
Team captain · #1 in AlabamaLeading teams
I was the team captain of a State Champion team in the Air & Space Forces Association's CyberPatriot Competition in the state of Alabama. I led our teams during trainings to prep for the competitions, created game plans for the competitions, and listened to my teammates on what they needed to be successful. Together we managed to become State champions and remain top 3 for all 4 years.
Naturally I took my knowledge of teamwork from this and brought it over to a professional setting: CyberProtex. This is when I led the reconnaissance and action during the ransomware alert where we had to ensure that not only the customer's systems were secure, but also ensure that unnecessary worry or responsibility wasn't escalated.
Self-scrutiny
I have a perfectionist habit when it comes to completing tasks. I always look for my own failures before someone else can find them. I value my own work integrity, especially when I have a responsibility to others for my work to do things consistently and reliably.
This level of scrutiny came from habit, and has saved me more times than I can count.
I believe shortcomings allow us to reflect on our own performance and adapt to become better from it.
Phishing awareness
I wrote and delivered a college presentation to inform others about the dangers of phishing, and I now use best practices to keep phishing attempts on me from working. I did this after I got phished myself, even though I was already into cybersecurity. Instead of just moving on from my mistake, I wanted to make a difference by making sure others wouldn't fall for the same thing.
I understand that despite my ability I have shortcomings. Nonetheless, I believe shortcomings allow us to reflect on our own performance and adapt to become better from it.