Will Medina
Will Medina
Security Operations  ·  Fort Lauderdale, FL

IT professional and Marine Corps veteran with 9 years of experience across systems, cybersecurity, and infrastructure. Key technical contributor during a live breach at a financial institution. Looking for SOC Analyst and Security Engineer roles.

Security+ Network+ Project+ B.S. Computer Engineering Inactive Secret Clearance
Experience Resume Contact
About

Who I Am

Security Clearance Inactive Secret — previously granted during U.S. Marine Corps service

I'm Will Medina, an IT professional and Marine Corps veteran with 9 years of experience across system administration, cybersecurity, and infrastructure.

Currently at BrightStar Credit Union, I'm the primary IT person for the whole org — covering everything from helpdesk and hardware to being a key technical contributor during a major cybersecurity incident, where we got full operations back within one month.

My background runs from military service to higher ed IT to financial services, which means I've worked on systems where downtime isn't an option. I have a B.S. in Computer Engineering from Florida Atlantic University and three CompTIA certifications.

I'm working toward a SOC Analyst or Security Engineer role, combining real incident response experience with home lab projects and ongoing security education.

9+
Years IT Experience
3
CompTIA Certs
USMC
Veteran 2009–2015
SOC
Target Role
Certifications

CompTIA Certified

🛡️
Security+
CompTIA
Threat detection, risk management, cryptography, and incident response fundamentals.
🌐
Network+
CompTIA
Networking infrastructure, operations, and network security essentials.
📋
Project+
CompTIA
IT project lifecycle management — planning, execution, and stakeholder coordination.
Skills

Technical Skills

Cybersecurity
Incident Response Alert Triage Threat Detection Security Awareness Training Disaster Recovery BSA / OFAC Compliance
Networking & Infrastructure
LAN / WAN Firewalls Switches & Routers VoIP / VoSIP / DSN Physical Infrastructure Network Troubleshooting
Systems & Tools
Windows / MacOS Active Directory Microsoft 365 VMware Server Administration Root Cause Analysis
Experience

Career

June 2024 – Present
System Support Specialist
BrightStar Credit Union · Fort Lauderdale, FL
  • Primary IT support across hardware, software, and network issues in a federally-regulated financial environment
  • Key technical contributor to incident recovery — helped restore partial operations in under two weeks with full capacity back within one month
  • Executed full migration from VMware to physical infrastructure, improving stability and cutting licensing costs
  • Installed, configured, and maintained servers, workstations, and peripherals while keeping up with security compliance standards
  • Built and tested disaster recovery plans and strengthened backup processes for business continuity
  • Delivered staff security awareness training and supported BSA, OFAC, and Patriot Act compliance
2022 – 2024
Help Desk Technician
Nova Southeastern University · Fort Lauderdale, FL
  • Tier 1 support for 20+ daily users across hardware, software, and network issues
  • Diagnosed and resolved tickets by phone, in-person, and remote tools
  • Handled hardware and software installation, troubleshooting, and user training
  • Monitored system performance and kept LAN/WAN connectivity running
2009 – 2015
Communication Specialist
United States Marine Corps · MOS: Communications
  • Installed and maintained secure and non-secure communications infrastructure for 20,000+ personnel across multiple bases
  • Completed 200+ telecom service requests covering DSN, VoIP, and VoSIP systems
  • Handled end-user training, documentation, and technical support across hardware and network systems
Education

Academic Background

2021
B.S., Computer Engineering
Florida Atlantic University
2016
A.A., Computer Science
Broward College
Specialized military training: IT Essentials and Communication Antenna Systems (USMC)
Home Lab & Projects

What I'm Building

Self-Hosted
CipherForge
A self-hosted cybersecurity study platform I built and run on my Unraid server. Next.js app deployed via Docker with a 100+ question CySA+ drill engine, coding challenges, networking labs, a media hub (podcast RSS and curated YouTube), and live vulnerable environments (DVWA, Juice Shop) accessible from the browser. Phase 3 adds Supabase auth, spaced repetition using the SM-2 algorithm, and Claude API for AI-generated questions and wrong-answer explanations. Built it because I wanted something that matched how I actually learn.
Next.js 14 TypeScript Docker Unraid Supabase Claude API DVWA Juice Shop ttyd SM-2 Spaced Repetition
labs.willmedina.dev ↗
Home Lab
Lumen
A desktop AI chat app built with Electron, React 19, and TypeScript. Connects to local LLMs on my Unraid server through Ollama (RTX GPU inference) and falls back to the Claude API when needed. Streaming responses, multi-conversation management, markdown and syntax highlighting, and a Code Mode with shell and git access. Built to work like a real product, not a tutorial clone.
Electron React 19 TypeScript Vite Ollama Claude API Tailwind v4 Zustand
Home Lab
Kappa Tracker
An in-game overlay for Escape from Tarkov that tracks Kappa Container progress in real time. Built with Electron and the Overwolf SDK. Auto-injects on launch, toggles with Ctrl+Shift+K, and pulls live quest, ammo, hideout, and collector data from the tarkov.dev GraphQL API.
Electron Overwolf SDK JavaScript GraphQL tarkov.dev API
Infrastructure
Active Directory Lab
A Windows Server VM (LAB-DC01) running as a full AD domain controller on my Unraid server, isolated on a dedicated NVMe RAID-1 pool. Used for hands-on AD administration, Group Policy, user and machine management, and identity concepts that come up in SOC work. Paired with a second lab VM for domain-join testing and attack/defense scenarios.
Windows Server Active Directory Group Policy DNS / DHCP Unraid KVM VirtIO
Hardware Build
Custom Home Server
The physical server running everything else on this page. Spec'd and built it myself: Ryzen 9 7900X, 128GB RAM, NVIDIA RTX GPU for local AI inference, 12TB IronWolf array with parity, a 2TB 990 Pro NVMe cache pool, and a mirrored 1TB 980 Pro RAID-1 pool for lab VMs. Running Unraid OS with 32 Docker containers, active VMs, and a Cloudflare Tunnel for external access.
Ryzen 9 7900X 128GB RAM RTX GPU Unraid OS NVMe RAID-1 Cloudflare Tunnel Docker KVM
BrightStar CU
Cyber Incident Recovery
Key technical contributor during a real cybersecurity incident at a live financial institution. Helped restore partial operations in under two weeks with full capacity back within one month.
Incident Response Business Continuity Recovery Planning
BrightStar CU
VMware to Physical Migration
Planned and executed a full migration from VMware to physical infrastructure. Improved system stability and cut unnecessary licensing costs.
VMware Infrastructure Migration Server Administration
Contact

Get In Touch

Looking for cybersecurity roles — SOC Analyst and Security Engineer specifically. Based in Fort Lauderdale, FL and open to remote.

hello@willmedina.dev LinkedIn ↗ GitHub ↗