US DepT. of Commerce federal contractor (SEP 2024-Present)

As a software developer with the Office of Cybersecurity and IT Risk Management, I am addressing a binding operational directive focused on securing the Department of Commerce's high-value assets (HVAs). To achieve this, I am programming an interactive tool that collects annual asset data, identifies critical areas of weakness, and enhances the privacy and trustworthiness of HVAs. In addition, I am working on a separate binding operational directive centered on vulnerability disclosure policies. My role involves standardizing vulnerability reporting across the Executive Branch, ensuring consistent practices that integrate cybersecurity risk management and protect the public's trust in government-held information. Finally, as AI becomes ubiquitous, it is crucial to ensure its use is both efficient and secure. Recognizing the lack of existing guidelines for AI applications within the Department of Commerce, I was granted the opportunity to develop a Rules of Behavior handbook for AI. This handbook will establish foundational measures for responsible AI usage, ensuring that innovation is balanced with robust protections for sensitive data.

Beyond my current projects, I have contributed to other key initiatives during my time with the Office. I collaborated with the Enterprise Cybersecurity Awareness and Training team to pilot-test the 2025 Cyber Awareness Challenge, an initiative designed to educate employees on workplace cybersecurity risks. Additionally, I received training on the Cyber Security Assessment and Management Application to deepen my understanding of the risk management framework and support security assessments and authorizations.

During my paid internship with the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (CCI), I had the opportunity to enhance my professional skills while exploring the field of cybersecurity. The seven-week program began with a two-week Professional Skills Bootcamp, where I participated in a Tech Duels debate and won first place by ardently defending the position that artificial intelligence is a job creator. Additionally, I networked with prominent leaders in the technology field such as Vint Cerf, often recognized as the father of the internet, and Noelle Russell, famous for her contribution to Amazon's Alexa. In the subsequent five weeks, I interned at Solvitur Systems LLC, where I developed a 98% accurate SGD classification model to distinguish between safe and spam emails, and trained a large language model on 18,000 emails to generate realistic phishing attacks. These projects allowed me to play a role in utilizing artificial intelligence tools to advance the cybersecurity field. 

Link to Solvitur Systems LLC Website: https://www.solvitursystems.com/

During a highly competitive internship, I was honored to be selected as one of only 10 interns from 800 applicants for The Coding School High School Artificial Intelligence Research Program. As an intern, I collaborated with Lev Paciorkowski, a PhD candidate from Washington University, to develop a research project focused on using a random forest model to forecast terrorist deaths in the United States. Terrorism continues to be a significant global threat, causing immense loss of life, economic disruption, and psychological impact. In the United States, predicting terrorist activities can benefit the Department of Defense and Homeland Security as effective prediction models can help allocate resources, improve preparedness, and develop proactive counter-terrorism strategies. My work emphasized the potential of using machine learning to accurately forecast terrorist deaths, with the hope of preventing future attacks and minimizing casualties.