University of Staffordshire London graduate, Joni Rosales, demonstrated unwavering dedication to his studies which led him to obtaining a first-class degree in his BSc Cyber Security course.
However, this success did not come without its challenges. Joni’s first year of university coincided with the turbulent times of the COVID-19 lockdown across the UK and the world. Like many students, learning remotely was a difficult adjustment. Joni said, “I often found myself disengaged from lectures and uninspired to do work. However, with the help of my Course Director, Dr Vahid Heydari and Course Leader, Dr Viraj Dawarka, I was able to find the motivation to complete my assignments.”
During his time at University of Staffordshire London, Joni learned both practical professional skills in cyber security and even his interpersonal skills. He reflected on his ability to network with industry professionals brought in for guest lectures and at conferences in Here East’s, Plexal. Joni said, “I was able to interact with a multitude of industry experts from a variety of different fields, which allowed me to really come into my own and develop my soft skills.”
Joni also particularly enjoyed the problem-solving aspect of his course, especially the networking modules. He said, “It was fun! Those modules taught us how to troubleshoot a variety of network problems, configure networking devices, and build secure networks in PacketTracer. Nothing quite beats the feeling of successfully troubleshooting a misconfigured network!”. This knowledge directly helped Joni secure a job, as he was able to demonstrate a methodical approach to solving various technical problems.
By developing these skill sets, it allowed him to progress into his current job role at Syracuse University London, an American higher education institution with a London campus, as the Operations and IT Assistant. Here, Joni solves a multitude of both technical and non-technical problems daily. His tasks include helping staff, students, and academic faculty across multiple departments and over 250 students, troubleshooting a range of hardware and software problems, along with network maintenance.
While at Syracuse University London, Joni is already making waves by implementing and maintaining asset management systems, which has increased asset tracking accuracy by 20% for the University. Additionally, Joni has reduced the downtime in AV equipment across the facilities through proactive troubleshooting and routine maintenance, improving the quality of remote conferences and online learning for students.
Joni’s favourite memory of University of Staffordshire London was having academics who continuously went out of their way to ensure he had an enriching experience and working alongside his friends on different modules and projects. Joni mentioned, “The projects were tough, and the modules required a lot of time and effort. But doing it with your friends while having a laugh was always fun!”
In his advice for current and incoming students, Joni urges them to value the time they have on campus and make use of all the facilities. He said, “Enjoy it. Three or four years at university may seem like a long time. But trust me, it will fly by!”
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