Welcome Everyone, My name is Rafael, and I am originally from the Dominican Republic.  I currently reside in the Hampton Roads area while currently enrolled in Old Dominion University majoring in Cybersecurity. ​

Prior to ODU I spend the majority of my entire adult life enlisted in the United States Navy as a Mass Communication Specialist.  I had the opportunity to be able to tell the Navy’s story to the public audience from the eyes of a servicemember, and that journey literally took me around the globe.  I did anything and everything from documenting the Coast Guard’s presence in Alaska to covering humanitarian reliefs efforts after a natural disaster in Southeast Asia.  Below, you can see some of images that I have documented throughout my time of service.

Some of my extra curricular activities include traveling, playing sports, spending time with my family, and experimenting with different network setups in my personal lab at home.

My immediate educational goal is to complete my Cybersecurity degree plan this winter.  I also have a few more educational goals that I hope to complete by mid 2023, which include obtaining the AWS Cloud Practitioner, CompTIA Network+, and CompTIA Security+ certifications.

Now, I look forward into completing this transition to the Cybersecurity world, and be of service once again, protecting people from the dangers of cyberspace.