{"id":393,"date":"2026-03-14T00:29:15","date_gmt":"2026-03-14T00:29:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/huongq\/?page_id=393"},"modified":"2026-03-14T00:39:42","modified_gmt":"2026-03-14T00:39:42","slug":"capstone-reflection","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/huongq\/capstone-reflection\/","title":{"rendered":"Capstone Reflection"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Me After 4 years of college<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Introduction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When I first started at Old Dominion University, I was an electrical engineering major with the goal of becoming an electrical engineer at NASA. At the time, I had basic Python coding skills and experience working on teams from playing sports, but I was still trying to figure out where I truly belonged professionally. I was unsure of my career path, lacked confidence, and did not fully understand how students obtained internships or built professional experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking back, I realize I was a completely different person when I started at ODU. I was more uncertain, less confident, and still trying to understand my strengths. Throughout my time here, I have grown not only academically but personally and professionally. My experiences helped me become more confident, more disciplined, and more intentional about my career direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Program Reflection<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Several experiences shaped my growth during my time at ODU. Three of the most impactful were switching majors, joining a fraternity, and gaining multiple internship experiences, especially my current project management internship at INIT.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Switching my major from electrical engineering to cybersecurity during the summer before my senior year was a difficult decision. At the time, I felt like I had failed because engineering was not the right fit for me. However, looking back, this was one of the best decisions I made because it allowed me to pursue a field that better matched my interests and strengths. This experience taught me that growth sometimes requires making difficult decisions and being honest with yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joining a fraternity was another major turning point in my development. It provided the social environment I needed to come out of my comfort zone and grow as a person. Through this experience, I built strong friendships and developed leadership skills. As treasurer, I was responsible for maintaining the chapter budget, collecting dues, and helping manage three committees. I also helped lead chapter meetings, which strengthened my leadership and communication skills. This experience helped me become more comfortable speaking in front of groups and taking responsibility for organizational outcomes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My internship experiences also played a major role in shaping my professional identity. I have completed eight internship experiences, including GenCyber, the Brooks Innovation Lab, the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative, the National Science Foundation, the DoD Viceroy Program, the ODU Research Foundation, and INIT. Each opportunity helped me build technical knowledge, professional communication skills, and confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One particularly important experience was my NSF research internship, where I worked on developing an AI model that creates shaped adversarial patches. This was my first time seeing how my technical skills could be applied to real research problems. Presenting this work at a virtual research expo helped me realize that I was capable of contributing to technical discussions and producing meaningful work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My current project management internship at INIT has had the biggest impact on my confidence. This was my first corporate internship, and it gave me validation that I was on the right path. In this role, I supported project tracking, scheduling, and traveled onsite to support project activities. Being trusted to travel onsite showed me that I had earned responsibility and trust within a professional environment. This experience helped me see myself as a professional rather than just a student.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the biggest challenges I faced during college was being a commuter student with about an hour commute. While this was difficult, it forced me to become very intentional about time management. I had to plan my days carefully and be disciplined about how I used my time. Although this meant sacrificing some late nights and social activities, I am proud that I made the most of my commuter experience and stayed focused on my long-term goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another challenge I overcame was becoming less introverted. I intentionally put myself in uncomfortable situations and learned skills like sales and networking to improve my communication abilities. These experiences helped me grow significantly in leadership and communication, which I consider two of my strongest areas of development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finding my Why<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When I look across my experiences, I see several consistent themes: leadership, problem solving, helping others succeed, and building systems. Whether it was managing finances in my fraternity, contributing to cybersecurity research, or supporting project coordination at INIT, I often found myself in roles where I was helping organize processes and support team success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A major turning point in my journey was landing my first research internship. That experience showed me that my skills had real value and that I could apply what I learned in the classroom to real-world problems. My experience at INIT further strengthened this realization by showing me how my skills translate into corporate environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My personal values of character, growth, responsibility, learning, and integrity have guided my decisions throughout college. These values influenced my decision to switch majors, pursue internships, and continuously challenge myself to grow. I now see myself as someone who actively seeks growth opportunities rather than avoiding challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking Forward<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After graduation, I plan to pursue a career in project management. My experience at INIT opened my eyes to this career path and showed me how much I enjoy the balance between technical work, coordination, and travel. I enjoy being in roles where I can help organize complex efforts and support teams in achieving their goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The skills I developed at ODU, especially critical thinking, cybersecurity fundamentals, and communication skills, will directly apply to my future career. At the same time, I recognize there is still more for me to learn. I plan to continue building my technical knowledge and leadership abilities while pursuing certifications such as Security+ and the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I also plan to continue updating my LinkedIn profile to reflect my professional growth and experiences as I continue developing my career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

IDS 493 Reflection<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One of the most valuable things I learned in IDS 493 was how to connect experiences to competencies instead of just listing accomplishments. Before this course, I would describe what I did, but I did not always explain what skills I developed or why the experience mattered. Learning how to reflect on my experiences and explain the impact they had on my professional development helped me better understand how to communicate my value to employers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If I had to describe IDS 493 to someone unfamiliar with the course, I would explain that it focuses on helping students connect their academic experiences, internships, and leadership roles into a professional story. The course emphasizes reflection, organization, and presentation of work so students can clearly demonstrate career readiness. Instead of just completing assignments, the course helped me understand how to present my work in a way that shows growth and direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If someone could only look at one part of my portfolio, I would direct them to my INIT internship experience page. I believe this page best represents my transition from student to professional because it shows my involvement in project coordination, corporate communication, and real-world responsibilities. It reflects the confidence and professional skills I developed through my experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If I had more time to improve my portfolio, I would expand my research section and add more technical artifacts from my cybersecurity coursework. I would also continue refining how I present my experiences so that they clearly show both technical ability and leadership growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Today, I would describe myself as an incoming project manager learning how to navigate the corporate world. I see myself as a driven graduate seeking to continue growing professionally and earn a full-time role where I can contribute and continue developing my leadership skills. My journey at ODU has helped me become more confident, more capable, and more prepared to take the next step into my professional career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking at my education as a whole, I can see how different disciplines contributed to my growth. My cybersecurity coursework developed my technical thinking and problem-solving ability, while my leadership experiences strengthened my communication and organizational skills. IDS 493 helped me connect these experiences into one professional narrative instead of seeing them as separate accomplishments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My experiences also showed me the importance of interdisciplinary thinking. Cybersecurity requires not only technical knowledge but also communication, organization, and business awareness. My internships and leadership roles showed me that technical work only succeeds when supported by strong coordination and teamwork. This understanding is what led me toward project management, where both technical understanding and leadership skills are equally important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As I move forward after ODU, I plan to continue growing as a project manager while building my technical background through certifications such as Security+ and PMP. My goal is to continue developing as a leader while contributing to organizations where I can help coordinate complex projects and support team success.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Me After 4 years of college Introduction When I first started at Old Dominion University, I was an electrical engineering major with the goal of becoming an electrical engineer at NASA. At the time, I had basic Python coding skills and experience working on teams from playing sports, but I was still trying to figure… <\/p>\n

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