About me

I’m a cybersecurity professional passionate about protecting systems and solving complex problems. With expertise in GRC, compliance frameworks like NIST and PCI DSS, and a knack for turning vulnerabilities into strengths, I thrive on keeping systems secure and compliant. Whether it’s optimizing 700+ security controls (a "NISTy" job, I know!) or building disaster recovery plans that won’t crash under pressure, I’m always up for the challenge.

I’m pursuing my master’s in cybersecurity and diving deep into areas like cryptography and secure protocols. I love cracking CTF challenges (especially OSINT), learning more through certifications, and staying informed on evolving cyber threats and industry.

Work experience

Cyberscurity Governance Intern

Inovalon, Bowie, MD

Jun 2025 - Present

(Returning Intern) More details coming soon!

Jun 2024 - Sep 2024

Streamlined 700+ security controls into an accessible checklist using NIST, ISO, HIPAA, and created a policy gap tracker for these controls, improving compliance tracking efficiency by 25% and avoiding potential penalties.
Migrated the risk register to SharePoint, and built a real-time risk dashboard that improved risk visibility by 30%, and utilized Clearwater’s IRM|Analysis® tool for comprehensive risk analysis.
Strengthened organizational resilience by leading and drafting 2 Business Continuity Planning tabletop exercises, engaging with 10+ senior executives, and producing actionable insights that enhanced the incident response plan.
Built a tracker to monitor Disaster Recovery Runbook status across departments and conducted risk assessments on active policy exceptions, visualizing potential compliance gaps, and reducing potential risks by 20%.
Organized and led BCP meetings with directors, integrated automation to save 20 hours per month, resulting in a 16% increase in operational efficiency, and promoted cybersecurity awareness with articles.

Dec 2024 - May 2025

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Security GRC Analyst (Graduate Assistant)

UMBC DoIT | Baltimore, MD

Drafted 5 institutional security policies by crosswalking requirements across NIST 800-171, NIST 800-53, CSF 2.0, and the Maryland IT Security Manual, improving audit readiness and reducing compliance gaps by 13%.
Selected as 1 of only 5 student assistants for the highly competitive UMBC Cybersecurity Clinic, contributed to governance initiatives that improved the University System of Maryland’s overall security posture by 15%.
Authored an official blog post for the Consortium of Cybersecurity Clinics, highlighting insights from a keynote on AI, cybersecurity leadership, and national defense to promote security awareness across 30+ academic institutions.

Nov 2021 - March 2022

Cybersecurity Intern

Talakunchi Networks | Remote

Completed 3 major projects during an industrial Cybersecurity program, focusing on Authentication Bypass, vulnerability scanning with OWASP ZAP, and open port assessments, which enhanced the security protocols and reduced potential threats.
Executed 20+ simulated attacks targeting server vulnerabilities using techniques such as SMTP exploitation, zone transfers, and NetBIOS enumeration
Conducted data sniffing via Wireshark to identify 3+ vulnerabilities, leading to improved threat detection and system security.
Discovered new tools and websites like Hack The Box and Vulnhub and learned concepts such as isolating the network for better security.
Received hands-on experience in digital security, computer software, and network administration.

Sep 2021 - Feb 2022

Project Intern (Azure)

Microsoft • Github • AICTE | Remote

Completed a virtual internship organized by Microsoft, Github & AICTE, and received hands-on experience with Microsoft Azure and GitHub tools.
Developed a project titled “ SpotifyClone” based on NextJs and deployed it via Azure using various Azure services.
Completed all the learning modules based on Data & AI, Azure, and Security totaling 200+ Hours.
Attained a deeper understanding of MS Learn - AZ-900, AZ-104, AZ-204, AZ-500, AI-900, AI-102, DA-100, and GitHub.

Education

Graduated May 2025

Masters of Science in Cybersecurity

University of Maryland, Baltimore County | MD, USA

GPA: 3.92/4.0

Graduate Certificate

Cybersecurity Strategy & Policy
Cybersecurity Operations

Coursework: Fall 2023 CYBR 620 Introduction to Cybersecurity CYBR 621 Cyber Warfare CYBR 652 Enterprise Security Spring 2023 CYBR 650 Managing Cybersecurity Operations CYBR 658 Risk Analysis & Compliance CYBR 623 Cybersecurity Law and Policy Fall 2024 CMSC 691 Special Topics in Computer Science (Cybersecurity Research) CYBR 622 Global Cyber Capabilities and Trends CYBR 696 Independent Study in Cybersecurity Spring 2025 CYBR 642 Digital Forensics

Graduated in 2022

Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Science Engineering

Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University | IND

GPA: 3.75/4.0

Coursework: Advanced 'C' & Programming Logic Design Digital Circuits & Fund. Of Microprocessors Computer Architecture & Organization Data Structure & Program Design Operating Systems System Programming Data Communication Object Oriented Programming Database Management Systems Design & Analysis Of Algorithms Artificial Intelligence Software Engineering And Project Management Computer Networks Data Warehousing & Mining Language Processor Distributed Operating System Information And Cyber Security Clustering And Cloud Computing Advanced Wireless Sensor Network

Skills

Cybersecurity Technical Skills

Penetration Testing
Vulnerability Assessment
OSINT (Open-Source Intelligence)
Incident Response
SIEM (Security Information and Event Management)
IDS/IPS (Intrusion Detection/Prevention Systems)
Security Automation
Vulnerability Assessments
SIEM
SQL