Since childhood, Mateo Nuñez has been driven by curiosity, often asking questions and exploring the satellite astir him. Fascinated by mundane objects, helium enjoyed taking isolated toys, examining electronics similar his father’s desktop and investigating devices specified arsenic the USB modem that provides net access.
What began arsenic elemental fascination would turn into a lifelong passionateness that would yet pb him to a vocation successful technology.
In 2021, Nuñez was portion of a programme sponsored by the United States Embassy successful Ecuador that helped him use to colleges successful the United States. While exploring his options, helium recovered Fresno State and was drawn successful by a assistance accidental specifically for Ecuadorian students. He was accepted and acceptable disconnected to statesman his undergraduate studies, embarking connected a caller section acold from his household successful Ecuador.
“There’s been a precise large modulation successful the past decennary with however accusation is handled implicit the internet, and it needs to beryllium protected from radical who privation to onslaught it,” Nuñez said. “Working with tech is absorbing and amusive for me, truthful I knew I wanted to spell successful that direction.”
Nuñez volition reunite with household and observe his locomotion crossed the signifier arsenic a postgraduate of the machine subject programme with a insignificant successful cybersecurity and a certificate of peculiar survey successful precocious cybersecurity astatine the College of Science and Mathematics commencement ceremonial from 8 to 9:30 a.m. connected Saturday, May 17, astatine the Save Mart Center.
During his freshman twelvemonth astatine Fresno State, a scooter mishap near him with a breached hep conscionable weeks earlier finals. Despite symptom and constricted mobility, helium remained committed to his studies.
The enactment helium received from professors, classmates and the Fresno State International Office showed him the powerfulness of assemblage and service. This acquisition reinforced his tendency to find retired however helium could usage his passionateness for exertion to enactment others.
In 2024, Nuñez spent his summertime arsenic an accusation information intern astatine Cooperativa de Ahorro y Crédito Politécnica, a recognition national successful Ecuador.
“Since the concern was comparatively new, determination were a batch of things to bash from scratch, similar mounting up networks and firewalls, and I was capable to usage my cognition of tools similar Wireshark and Packet Tracer due to the fact that I utilized them successful hands-on labs astatine Fresno State,” Nuñez said.
Through this internship, Nuñez said helium boosted web information by cutting vulnerabilities by 20%, improved web show by 30% and reduced unauthorized entree by 20%. He besides helped update the Disaster Recovery Plan, lowering downtime hazard by 10% and aligning it with champion practices.
In January, Nuñez entered a caller relation arsenic web and IT infrastructure intern astatine Valley Children’s Hospital.
“When we deliberation astir wellness care, we deliberation astir doctors and nurses, but there’s besides the exertion broadside of it,” Nuñez said. “Medical records are present handled online, and aesculapian devices and computers request to beryllium maintained, truthful wellness attraction and exertion indispensable enactment together.”
In this role, Nuñez helped fortify web information by assisting successful configuring VPNs and unafraid authentication methods. He helped amended ratio successful strategy monitoring by supporting scripting tasks, automating regular processes and contributing to enhanced vulnerability detection.
By shadowing web engineers, helium contributed to web optimization by analyzing traffic, identifying patterns and anomalies, and supporting the configuration of routers and switches to mitigate imaginable vulnerabilities.
“I find worth successful what I do, and it feels large to marque an interaction connected the largest pediatric infirmary successful the Central Valley done my enactment connected the backmost end,” Nuñez said.
Nuñez besides spent 3 years successful a part-time relation arsenic a pupil adjunct for the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Studies astatine Fresno State. During his tenure, helium has streamlined respective bureau procedures and has been instrumental successful organizing extended information utilizing Excel .
He updated pupil records, processed paperwork, maintained the section website and provided enactment to field stakeholders. Over the past year, helium helped students who needed to entree people forms oregon alteration their major.
“I privation Mateo each bully things successful his beingness due to the fact that helium has worked hard to gain and merit the respect that helium garners from others,” said Dr. Bernadette Muscat, dean of Undergraduate Studies. “He is an astonishing young man, and I person each assurance that helium volition usage his machine skills successful cybersecurity successful affirmative ways that volition beryllium impactful locally and globally. I spot that helium volition proceed to springiness backmost to his assemblage and volition assistance and mentor others.”
Nuñez was an progressive subordinate of aggregate pupil organizations, including the Fresno State Computer Science Club and the Society of Hispanic Engineers.
He besides presented astir Ecuador during Fresno State’s International Coffee Hour, sharing taste insights and engaging students successful enriching cross-cultural discussions and experiences.
Nuñez intends to enactment for a fewer years to summation nonrecreational acquisition earlier pursuing a master’s grade successful cybersecurity.
“I’m going to miss those days present astatine Fresno State, from being a student, participating successful events and connecting oregon conscionable hanging retired the library,” Nuñez said. “But astatine the aforesaid time, I cognize that thing bigger is coming, and what I’ve been doing has helped to signifier who I americium close present and what I privation to bash successful the future.”
