01 / About
Every system can be understood.
Hey! I'm Samuel, currently a QA/Test Developer Intern at IBM, where I automate testing workflows for the IBM Db2 Analytics Accelerator (IDAA), the engine that makes mainframe-scale analytics fast. I'm also a Computer Science graduate student at Montclair State University, where I serve as a Teaching Assistant for Systems Programming, Operating Systems, Computer Science Theory, and Computer Networks.
My story starts in Honduras, where I've been fascinated by computers, electronics, and robotics for as long as I can remember. My first real code wasn't in a classroom; it was in GTA San Andreas mods and Counter-Strike 1.6 servers, tweaking game scripts late at night to make the games do things they were never supposed to do. Modding taught me the lesson I still live by: every system can be understood, and once you understand it, you can change it.
I've carried that fascination through every level of the stack, from the physical hardware I love taking apart, all the way up to the software I build. There's something deeply satisfying about understanding how every layer works.
I'm passionate about building software that actually matters: tools that educate, systems that automate, and applications that push the boundaries of what's possible with ML and AI.
Interests & passions
$ whoami --origin
Curiosity, born in Honduras
$ cat first_lines_of_code.log
[GTA: San Andreas] installed a mod → broke the game → opened the script to fix it → never closed the editor again
[Counter-Strike 1.6] server configs and mods: my first taste of making software bend to my will
$ ls childhood_obsessions/
computers/ electronics/ robotics/ how-does-this-actually-work/
$ history | tail -n 1
still taking systems apart to see how they work; now IBM pays me to do it
02 / Experience
Where I've been building.
May 2026 – Present
IBM
United States
QA/Test Developer Intern
Current- Test and validate the IBM Db2 Analytics Accelerator (IDAA), the high-speed analytics engine that offloads complex Db2 for z/OS queries to purpose-built hardware
- Automate QA workflows, turning repetitive manual test procedures into repeatable, hands-off pipelines
- Design, execute, and document test cases to verify accelerator behavior and catch regressions before release
Aug 2025 – Present
Montclair State University
Montclair, NJ
Graduate Assistant
- Teaching and tutoring Systems Programming & Operating Systems to undergraduate students
- Teaching Assistant for Computer Science Theory and Computer Networks
- Help students with lab assignments in Python, C, Bash, and assembly language
- Collaborate with faculty on grading, proctoring exams, and reviewing homework submissions
June – July 2025
Montclair State University
Montclair, NJ
Pre-College Professor Assistant
- Taught Python, Machine Learning, and Electronics concepts to 12 high school students
- Guided hands-on AI projects using Raspberry Pi: Emotion Recognition, Dangerous Object Detection, and Sign Language to Text-to-Speech
- Mentored students through the full development lifecycle of embedded AI applications
May – Aug 2023
Fabuwood
Newark, NJ
IT Warehouse Support
- Supported inventory management applications and automated warehouse systems
- Installed, configured, and maintained barcode scanners, mobile devices, printers, and network equipment
- Troubleshot hardware and software issues to minimize warehouse downtime
03 / Education
Foundations & coursework.
M.S. Computer Science
Montclair State University
Aug 2025 – Present
Funded via teaching assistantship
Key coursework
B.S. Computer Science
Montclair State University
Jan 2022 – May 2025
Key coursework
04 / Projects
Things I've shipped.
MSU Smart Classroom System
A full-stack smart classroom management platform built for Montclair State University, featuring real-time attendance tracking via magstripe card reader.
- RESTful API in Python/Flask for classroom management
- React front-end for real-time classroom and attendance dashboard
- C program for magstripe card reader integration for attendance tracking
- Containerized with Docker for easy deployment
Class Management System
A web-based platform for MSU course registration and class schedule management, with a full back-end API and Docker-hosted relational database.
- Web platform in Python for MSU course registration and class schedules
- Designed back-end REST API, data schema, and optimized SQL queries
- Docker-hosted relational database for reliable deployment
Computer Security Reports
In-depth penetration testing and binary analysis on real applications and web apps, including exploitation and remediation of critical vulnerabilities.
- Performed pen testing and binary analysis on applications and web apps
- Exploited Buffer Overflow, SQL Injection, CSRF, and XSS vulnerabilities
- Created fully patched versions of vulnerable applications as proof-of-fix
05 / Skills
The toolkit.
Languages
Tools & Frameworks
Testing & QA
Playground
Interactive exhibits.
Simulations, visualizations & generative art, exploring space, algorithms, and emergent beauty. Built from scratch on HTML canvas.
N-body gravity with collisions and merging. Drag to slingshot bodies along a predicted trajectory, switch scenarios, including the famous figure-8 three-body orbit!
06 / Contact
Let's connect.
Whether you want to collaborate, have a question, or just want to say hi, my inbox is always open.