Stephen Dziwura (He/him)
Currently living in
Bowie, Maryland, USWilling to relocate
Work Preferences
RemoteIn-PersonHybridOpen to roles
I am a 2021 graduate of Disability: In's NextGen Leadership Program. I have been very interested in cybersecurity since high school, have been involved in cybersecurity clubs and have participated in numerous cybersecurity competitions. I am very interested in working in the cybersecurity field because I see cybersecurity professionals as the most important defense against threat actors who are trying to compromise our personal data, national infrastructure and defense systems and everything in between. Cybersecurity attacks are very personal to me because everyone in my family, myself included, have had our personal and financial data compromised at least once. Neurodiverse-friendly employers who are interested in hiring me should know that I am passionate about a career in cybersecurity because I see protecting our data as one of the most important challenges facing our country, and I want to be part of helping keep everyone safe. I have done very well academically both in terms of learning and also getting excellent grades, but even more importantly I have most of the intangibles supervisors desire to include being honest, open to learning, reliable, hard-working, respectful of others, flexible, and easy to get along with. In addition to my BS Degree in information Science, I also have a minor in Sustainability which I understand is beginning an even bigger program in many organizations. I am committed to doing the best job I can, and all I need to be a valued member of any organization is the opportunity to prove myself.
Ideal Workplace Values
The ideal workplace for me is one that is both diverse and inclusive and that recognizes that organizations and teams are stronger when everyone understands their roles and responsibilities, and works together towards well communicated goals and objectives. The ideal workplace would have strong leadership that values ethical behavior, creative thought, loyalty, and hard work. The culture would both recognize and appreciate that diversity is not needed so that you can simply check a box, but instead because diversity makes organizations both stronger and more competitive.
My Badges
💪Skills and Strengths
My Neuro-exceptional talent
My neurodiversity gives me many unique advantages including; 1. I am very aware of how people relate to me. This allows me to be very reflective and aware of other people's feelings. This leads me to be a very good listener and someone who is very patient and understanding. 2. While my neurodiversity contributes to my shyness, my awareness of other people's feelings leads me to collaborate well with others and even to take the lead when needed. 3. My neurodiversity requires me to adapt to situations that others may not experience and this leads me to be very adaptive and flexible. 4. My neurodivedsity allows me to look at and solve problems differently than others. I think logically and strategically and tend to be very creative in my approach to solving problems. 5. My neurodiversity leads me to being very focused and not easily distracted. I struggle with transitioning but this can be beneficial because I usually will not move on from a problem until I have done my absolute best. I am driven to work hard to come up with both effective and efficient solutions. This approach can be problematic in some cases but it can result in very creative, effective, and efficient solutions.
Technical Skills
jQuery
Beginner
Beginner: While I've used it before, I require consistent guidance or mentorship to use this tool fully.
Hypertext markup language HTML
Intermediate
Intermediate: I can independently use this tool or own a project, but I have to learn more to master this tool fully.
Cascading Style Sheets CSS
Beginner
Beginner: While I've used it before, I require consistent guidance or mentorship to use this tool fully.
MySQL
Intermediate
Intermediate: I can independently use this tool or own a project, but I have to learn more to master this tool fully.
Top 5 Soft Skills
CollaborationAdaptabilityStrategic ThinkingCreativityCritical Thinking🧠Inclusion Essentials
Accommodations
Send Questions in AdvanceInterviewer Experienced with NeurodiversityExtra TimeDaily RemindersConcise InstructionsReceiving Information in AdvanceExtra Time to Process New InformationChunking Large Amounts of ContentPeriodic Rest BreaksText to speech (Kurzweil)Environments I'm comfortable with
🚀Experience
Check out my work
Worked for 6 months from Jun 2021 to Nov 2021 Jun 2021 Nov 2021 6 months | research assistant - Dr. Philip Piety, UMD, College of Information Studies Performed virtual software testing in a highly collaborative and innovative environment software testing |
Worked for 5 months from Aug 2020 to Dec 2020 Aug 2020 Dec 2020 5 months | Teaching Assistant - UMD College Park Scholars Program Led discussion groups using creativity and problem-solving to foster a collaborative environment |
Worked for 5 months from Aug 2019 to Dec 2019 Aug 2019 Dec 2019 5 months | Teaching Assistant - UMD, iSchool/Introduction to Information Science Used critical thinking to assist with preparing course material and grading written assignments |
Worked for 7 months from Jun 2019 to Dec 2019 Jun 2019 Dec 2019 7 months | research assistant - Dr. Amanda Lazar, UMD, College of Information Studies Worked collaboratively to research how information technology affects our understanding of health conditions |
Working since Aug 2018 Aug 2018 Current | Author - Big Purple Barn Equine Rescue Authored an innovative sustainability report with specific recommendations for improvements. |
🎓Education and Credentials
Attended for 4 years from 2021 to 2025 2021 2025 4 years | Social and Behavioral Responsible Conduct of Research (CITI) - University of Maryland Certificate |
Attended for 4 years from 2021 to 2025 2021 2025 4 years | Disability:IN NextGen Leaders Program - University of Maryland Certificate |
Attended for 5 years from 2017 to 2022 2017 2022 5 years | University of Maryland Bachelor's degree - Information Science |