# About Me I'm **Kenneth Castillo**, a cybersecurity professional with over 8 years of IT experience and a growing focus on security engineering, cloud infrastructure protection, and threat detection. Currently based in Texas, I'm looking for opportunities in security operations, cloud security (especially Azure), or junior red team roles. One of the most surprising things about my career is that I didn’t plan any of it. <div style="text-align: center;"> <img src="about_me_hobbiton.png" alt="Headshot" style="max-width: 350px;"> <p>(Visiting Hobbiton in New Zealand!)</p> </div> ## How I Started in IT I graduated with a degree in physics and no clue what I wanted to do next. I toyed with the idea of becoming a researcher, but hours of tweaking knobs and taking notes? Not my thing. On a whim, I applied for an Engineering Assistant position at a radio station—figured my experience with circuit boards would make me a good fit. Turns out, only about 40% of the job was actually radio engineering. The rest? IT support—something I had zero experience with. Thanks to a lot of on-the-job learning, I started developing a real interest in IT. Unfortunately, the company culture...well, wasn't the greatest. In 2020, I moved to the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas and I thought I hated computers. (Actually I didn’t. I just didn’t like the people.) ## Feeling Aimless in Texas When I arrived in Texas, I felt stuck. I wasn’t sure what I wanted anymore, so I tried everything: - Trained to become a firefighter (the physical test was brutal but fun) - Considered becoming a personal trainer (I mean I *did* practice Taekwondo for 14 years) - Earned a TEFL certificate thinking I’d teach English abroad (turns out, teaching is exhausting) Eventually, I stumbled across a nonprofit radio station while job hunting. They didn’t have a spot for me, but someone there connected me to another nonprofit that needed IT help. I gave them a call—and just like that, I was back in IT. ## Growing at My Time in Non-profit Working in a nonprofit was a crash course in adaptability. I joined as a Network Administrator and quickly became a go-to tech resource. The hands-on environment gave me the freedom to research solutions, lead projects, and grow into leadership roles. Over time, I moved from Assistant Director then eventually to Director of IT. The biggest lesson I’ve learned? **Collaboration matters**. I don’t need to be the smartest person in the room—I just need to listen, recognize good ideas, and help make them happen. ## What I’m Working On Now Right now, I’m actively developing my skills in cybersecurity with a strong focus on **cloud security** and **infrastructure protection**, particularly within the Azure ecosystem. I recently earned my **TryHackMe "Defending Azure"** certification and am expanding my capabilities in: 🔹 **Blue team operations** and detection engineering 🔹 **SIEM/SOAR tools** like Wazuh, Graylog, and Velociraptor 🔹 **Junior-level penetration testing**, primarily through hands-on labs on TryHackMe I'm also actively volunteering for my local cybersecurity community, **RGV Cyber**. You can learn more about them [here](https://www.rgv-cyber.org/). My ultimate goal is to contribute to building secure, resilient systems — whether through defending infrastructure, improving threat detection, or automating responses. 👉 Curious what drives me? Here’s [[Why I'm Passionate for Cyber Security|why I'm passionate about cybersecurity.]] 👉 Learn about my current SIEM project [[Building a SIEM - 1 - Understanding the Parts|here]]. ## Outside of Work When I'm not working on cyber security, I'm helping out with my church, [Redemption Valley Fellowship ](https://redemptionvalley.com/), visiting amazing places like Hobbiton in New Zealand with my wife, playing Dungeons and Dragons, and trying to exercise. I also like heavy metal and playing video games with my wife on the couch. --- ## 📬 Let’s Connect - [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenneth-castillo-590a9bb8/) – professional background and updates - Email: [email protected] – always happy to connect or chat security --- > *"Projects don't break people. People break people."* - Me, 2025