Welcome to my journey as a cybersecurity and software development professional. - Roy Louis Garcia

Click the polaroid pictures on the right to explore different phases of my journey, or navigate to the projects, tools, and skills sections below.

Toys

I was a child once ..

As a child, I was drawn to toys that sparked creativity and thought—paper-and-pencil games, the TI Speak & Spell, Game & Watch, Connect Four, and others. My early fascination with how things work blossomed into a lifelong habit of questioning, tinkering, and learning. I often dismantled my own toys—not out of boredom, but out of curiosity. Though I rarely discarded them, I repurposed broken pieces or reimagined their design into something new. There was a quiet satisfaction in giving old objects fresh life, whether by rebuilding, repurposing, or simply understanding them better.

Toys

My early games of choice made me competitive, curious, and resilient

My curiosity didn’t stop with toys—it evolved right alongside my growing interest in computers. As I began exploring this digital frontier, I discovered the value of methodical reading, diving deep into instruction manuals like they were treasure maps. Yet I never let caution dull my instinct to experiment. One memorable moment early on: I opened a Calendar program file in Notepad, purely out of curiosity. It turned into a small mistake with a big lesson—I learned to always back up files before tinkering. That mindset has stayed with me ever since, shaping a careful-yet-bold approach to learning, problem-solving, and protecting digital environments.

... in highschool and college, I learned about electronics communication, guitar, radiohead, electronic music, phreaking, and programming ...

"Adulthood is not an age, but a stage of knowledge of self." ~/quote/fron/John_Fowles

I believe that learning is perpetual. Even when we graduate from school, we move forward in life to learn that there is much more that we do not know. I also believe that technology is not neutral. It can be used ethically or to cheat others of opportunities. I love learning about the duality of what a famous builder named Robert Moses did that affect accessibility and fairness.

Security, Ethics and Where I Fit In ...

As a developer, I feel obligated to go beyond hiding certain complexities of any product or system from users, making it easier for them to use. It is more important that under the hood, the product or system is in excellent and secured condition. Eventually, I hope to aid people by building tools that provide positive impact to society, in general

At some point, I consciously diverted from a path of being a generalist or Jack of All Trades. However, even if I was able to choose whatever rabbit-hole I take, I find myself dwelling on the overlap of cybersecurity, software development, social media marketing, data analytics, machine learning, and life.

My MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) Certificates

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Projects


Featured
Academic
Professional
Personal
Academic

Life is full of obstacles. Seeking solutions instead of dwelling from problems is a virtue that my father reminded me before he passed away. As a first-generation immigrant, balancing family life and studies became a paramount skill and necessity.

I learned to make use of technological tools and virtual communities for help. I remember using xanga blog account to host and share electronic pdfs of lectures nots and recorded mp3 audio of lectures that were approved and shared by professors. Back then, I only had my Palm Pilot and Sony Clie to record. Since then, technology became an extension that enabled me to persevere. I involved myself in projects that aims to provide solutions.

Click on the logos below to learn more about the courses and projects I completed during my education:

HARTNELL COMMUNITY COLLEGE

A.S. Computer and Information Science
A.S. Physics
A.S. Mathematics

Hartnell College has launched my interests in computing and its benefits to humanity. Initially, I wanted to major in Mathematics or Physics. After taking computer courses and actually using technology as aid to my studying, I decided to change my major to Computer Science. Since the overlap among these three majors were also the transfer requirements to bigger universities, I decided to get all three associate degrees. Also, I made most of my stay at Hartnell to get to know more about the experiences of some Computer Science faculty members and to network with peers.

Courses

ADJ 1 Introduction to Administrative of Justice
AST 1 Introduction to Astronomy
BIO 42 Human Biology

CIS 1 Object Oriented Programming
CIS 106 Operating Systems/Assembly Language
CIS 2 Introduction to Data Structures
CIS 3 Computer Organization
CIS 5 Introduction to Computer Science

ECO 5 Principles of Micro Economics
ENG 101 Grammar and Composition
ENG 1A Composition and Reading
ENG 1B Chicano Perspective
FRN 1 Elementary French
HIST 17A History of the United States
HIST 4B History Western Civilization
INS 250 Tutor Training

MAT 123 Intermediate Algebra
MAT 3A Analytical Geometry/Calculus 1
MAT 3B Analytical Geometry/Calculus 3
MAT 3C Analytical Geometry/Calculus 2
MAT 4 Linear Algebra
MAT 5 Differential Equations

MUS 2 Music Fundamentals
PHL 15 Critical Thinking

PHY 4A Physics: Mechanics and Properties of Matter
PHY 4B Physics: Electricity and Magnetism
PHY 4C Physics: Heat, Sound, and Light

POL 1 American Institutions
PSY 15 Human Sexuality
PSY 1A General Psychology
SPE 3 Introduction to Communication

Projects

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CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY MONTEREY BAY

B.S. Telecommunication Multimedia Applied Computing (TMAC)
Concentration: Programming and Systems Administration

Further learning made me understand how technology can make or break opportunities. At CSUMB, my goal of helping bridge the digital divide got started. I became an advocate for assisstive technology. I worked on projects that focused on usability and accessibility.

Also, I started using open source tools to help small businesses create their content management systems, web sites and social media presence. I wanted to give back and contribute to enabling people via technology, especially those that will empower business owners to be their own administrators of tools I help create.

Courses

BUS 651 VENTURE FORMATION AND FINANCIAL STRATEGY
CST 361s TECHNOLOGY TUTORS
CST 201 MEDIA TOOLS
CST 231 C++ PROBLEM SOLVING AND PROGRAMMING

CST 300 MAJOR PROSEMINAR
CST 311 INTRODUCTION TELECOMMUNICATIONS
CST 334 UNIX AND X-WINDOWS
CST 336 INTERNET PROGRAMMING
CST 337 COMPUTING ARCHITECTURE AND ENVIRONMENT
CST 338 SOFTWARE DESIGN
CST 363 DATABASE MANAGEMENT: METHODS AND APPLICATION
CST 373 ETHICS IN COMMUNICATION AND TECHNOLOGY
CST 395 INTRODUCTION COMPUTER GAMING

CST 400 SENIOR CAPSTONE PROJECT PLANNING
CST 401 CAPSTONE LABORATORY
CST 430 TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATION
CST 434 ADVANCED UNIX SYSTEMS ADMINISTRATION
CST 496 CAPSTONE DIRECTED STUDY
CST 595 DATABASE MANAGEMENT: ADVANCED

Projects

Project 1: CAPSTONE: Fast Online Ordering System

This project was a capstone project that I worked on. I created a web-based system that allows users to order food online. The system was designed to be user-friendly and efficient, allowing customers to place orders quickly and easily.

FOOS Food Interface
FOOS Garden Module
FOOS Jewelry Section

Project 2:

This project was a report about a technology that was made by Sony's

Jun Rekimoto and Jeff Han.

This system integrates three

  • significant interaction ideas: Uses transparent acrylic tiles to serve both as physical windows for digital information and to trigger specific actions
  • Mixed visual and physical interactions: interact using a pen; Grooves engraved upon the tile surfaces also act as passive haptic guides of pen operations.
  • Placing several tiles together can create a more complex system

I had been interested in modular design of reusable and reconfigurable components. What they were doing back in 2006 are now embedded in often marvelous design innovations we take for granted. Below is a video to showcase what they were designing back then:

CAPELLA UNIVERSITY

M.S. Information Systems and Technology Management
Concentration: Information Assurance and Security

I learned how to manage complex enterprise technology systems, design enterprise architecture, manage risk mitigation, and evaluate data to create business intelligence and data modeling that drive strategic decision making.

We studied to be the first line of defense for organizational networks. The MS in Information Assurance and Cybersecurity, Network Defense at Capella prepares students to assess, develop and implement solutions that safeguard information assets in today’s complex digital environment. Students acquire hands-on experience in our virtual lab, managing real-time responses to security breaches and performing vulnerability assessments. Knowledge to prepare for certifications like the CEH, CNDA, and CISSP® are studied.

CAPELLA's School of Business, Technology, and Health Care Administration - MS in Information Assurance and Cybersecurity program

Courses


IAS 5015 Ntwk Sec Fund & Cryptography
ISTM 5008 Networking Fundamentals
ISTM 5900 Info Sys Tech Mgmt Capstone

TS 5004 Technical Communications
TS 5010 Introduction to Enterprise Application and Architecture
TS 5011 Managing People and Technology
TS 5130 System Development Theory & Practice
TS 5160 Business Foundations
TS 5311 Enterprise Security
TS 5312 Security Risk Management
TS 5533 Wireless Security
TS 5536 Ethical and Legal Consideration in I.T.

Projects

Studies

Books

Professional

My professional journey spans from entry-level positions in the Philippines to specialized roles in web development and systems administration in the U.S. I transitioned from traditional jobs to freelance web development, focusing on Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) solutions to help clients cost-effectively. I later founded two successful web development businesses: NostradmsX Designs and Red Box Web Development, while also working as a Student Information Systems Analyst at CSUMB.

My first client for Nostradmsx Designs was Proxime Canada. They wanted a minimal, yet professional design. I used Joomla, AJAX, and Php customization to create the site.

Even though, I was able to create my own CMS using Php, using FOSS solutions, like Wordpress and Drupal provided a knowledeable community support for my clients. regarding maintainability of the site and SEO (Search Engine Optimization) practices.

Certain projects involved working various API's (Application Programming Interface), like this webite for a sports team that needed real time scores, statistics and tickers information in their content. Also, sportsmanship, team-spirit, cohesive ideals, and collaboration inspired the design of the site.

An online site aimed to extend advertising services for advertisers of the print version of the magazine that is published bi-monthly.

Red Box web development offered and built upon the products and services of NostradmsX Designs. For some clients, it was important to have flexible aesthetics for mobile devices and improved e-commerce functionalities.

I also started creating personal projects or friends wanting media galleries for school and professional portfolios.

Hired to collaborate with a videographer, I helped create and promote an online T.V. streaming site of a former professional singer in the Philippines. She retained her following and credibility even after she moved to L.A. Aside from developing her site, I produced music, created online advertising and managed social media contents that included live and on-demand video streamings

Personal

My personal development journey focuses on continuous learning through innovative methodologies and hands-on experimentation. I've developed a comprehensive approach combining hardware projects like Raspberry Pi setups for penetration testing, creative coding projects such as the FLAMES game, and automated learning tools that enhance knowledge retention through Cherry Tree note organization and various scripting solutions. This blend of theoretical study through MOOCs, practical application with development sandboxes, and creative problem-solving with custom automation scripts demonstrates my commitment to perpetual learning and technological exploration.

Featured

These featured projects exemplify how theoretical mastery in cloud architecture, secure infrastructure design, and devops pipelines has translated into robust, scalable solutions.

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Projects of Roy Louis L. Garcia

TOOLS

"We shape our tools and afterwards our tools shape us." - Marshall McLuhan


LINUX

Ubuntu, Kali Linux, Debian, CentOS, Redhat

WINDOWS

Powershell, Windows 11, Windows Server 2022, Active Directory, Group Policy

APPLE & Android

iOS, OS X, Xcode, Sketch, Android Studio

CLOUD SERVICES

Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure

DEVOPS

Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform

WEB TECHNOLOGIES

HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, VIM, Atom, Codepen.io

PROGRAMMING

Java, Python, Ruby

WEB FRAMEWORKS

Node.js, Flask, Ruby on Rails

DATABASES

MongoDB, PostgreSQL, Redis, SQLite, MariaDB



AMP SERVERS

Apache, MySQL, Php

CONTENT/LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS

Wordpress, Moodle, Drupal

GRAPHICS, USABILITY, ASSISTIVE TECH

Photoshop, Illustrator, GIMP

MICROSOFT AZURE

Entra (formerly Azure AD), Sentinel, Intune, Defender for Endpoint

ELASTIC STACK

Elasticsearch, Logstash, Kibana, Filebeat

VERSION CONTROL

Git, GitHub, GitLab

FRONTEND TOOLS

Bootstrap, Sass, Jekyll

MOBILE & HARDWARE

Android Development, Arduino

INFRASTRUCTURE

Nginx, Vagrant

DATA SCIENCE & ML

Python, Pandas, PyTorch, TensorFlow, Seaborn

MONITORING & DESIGN

Grafana, Sketch

SKILLS

... acquired from working for companies, being an entrepreneur, freelancing, taking MOOC courses, etc..

INTERESTS

Feel free to browse the things I enjoy reading, watching, tinkering with, and pondering upon