[ UP ] region: san antonio, tx / build: cs · st mary’s university / release: may 2027

Juan Marco
Saca Dada

Computer Science × Observability & Security

I build and instrument software, then watch how it behaves under load — from phishing-resilience campaigns to tracing requests with OpenTelemetry and Prometheus. I care about systems you can actually see into.

req_rate · live

gpa 3.77 / 4.00

graduation 2027 b.s. computer science

minors ×2 math · business

mentoring 5yr coach · founder · RA

resume ↗ email ↗ github ↗ linkedin ↗

// service description

What I’m about

I’m a Computer Science student at St. Mary’s University with a foundation in programming, problem-solving, and leadership — and a particular pull toward the parts of engineering that other people find tedious: monitoring, observability, and security. I like making systems legible, whether that’s tracing a slow request, hardening a team against phishing, or teaching a roomful of teenagers something new. My aim is to put that technical work to use on real problems, in teams that ship.

// experience

Where I’ve run

Systems Department Intern

Almacenes Siman · Central America

Designed and ran a fully simulated phishing campaign across the region using Windows Defender Campaign Builder to measure employee security awareness, then wrote a phishing-awareness manual to help staff spot fraudulent email. I instrumented the results — gathering metrics, identifying targeted users, and handing the Systems Manager a prioritized set of recommendations. I also researched, installed, and trialed observability tooling (OpenTelemetry, Prometheus) in Spring Boot services and delivered a comparative analysis for monitoring their enterprise stack.

OpenTelemetry
Prometheus
Spring Boot
Defender Campaign Builder
security awareness

// academic projects

Things I’ve built

VolleyPoints

java · data viz

A Java application for capturing and reviewing real-time volleyball match data. Users log events with buttons or hotkeys for fast in-match interaction; the app reads from the database, builds datasets, and renders bar-graph summaries for analysis. I worked directly with the team manager across monthly and ad-hoc meetings to refine requirements, scope features, and weigh their cost.

Java
OOP
databases
data visualization
client work

Tic-Tac-Toe & Pig Latin

c · algorithms

A Tic-Tac-Toe game in C built on two-dimensional arrays, pointers, and a clean method structure — playable head-to-head or against an opponent AI I designed myself. Alongside it, a parser that converts input sentences to Pig Latin, which grew my comfort with string manipulation and purpose-built algorithm design.

C
pointers
2D arrays
game AI
parsing

// instrumentation

The stack I work in

languages

Java
C
C++
Python
JavaScript
HTML
CSS

security & systems

Linux
Docker
Wireshark
OpenTelemetry
Prometheus

certifications

Sophos Central Endpoint — Certified Engineer
Sales Fundamentals

tools

Visual Studio
IntelliJ
VS Code
NetBeans
Adobe Lightroom
Office

key — fluent developing

// leadership · uptime since 2018

Leading & teaching

2024 — now

Resident Assistant · St. Mary’s University

I build an inclusive, welcoming community in the residence halls — staying visible and approachable, challenging residents with new ideas, and running trust-building events. Active listening and a range of perspectives shape everything we plan, which keeps the hall supportive and genuinely collaborative.
2021 — 2023

Founder & Teacher, Photography Club · Colegio Lamatepec, El Salvador

I started a photography club to give students a place to pursue the craft, teaching around ten teenagers for two years — composition, technique, and writing captions — while pushing them to be creative. Juggling schedules and equipment taught me to seize opportunities and adapt when plans broke.
2018 — 2023

Karate-Do Coach · Dojo Lamatepec, El Salvador

I coached and supervised about fifteen teens at tournaments, developing their athletic skill and sportsmanship. Classes stayed fun and engaging while instilling discipline, self-control, and focus, and I tailored my approach to each student’s strengths and struggles — growing my own mentorship and adaptability in the process.

// background processes

Off-hours

What runs when I’m not at a keyboard.

Reading

A book is a lifetime of someone’s knowledge compressed into a few pages. Fiction or non-fiction, it’s how I learn, grow, and stumble into topics no class ever covers — there’s always something new in there.

Traveling

My favorite hobby, full stop. New people, new cultures, and the chance to explore the wonderful places on this planet — from deep caves to flying over a town in the middle of the Alps. It feeds my curiosity and my adventurous streak.

New experiences

Nothing beats the thrill of trying something for the first time — a new food, paragliding, horseback riding, whatever’s next. My bucket list keeps growing, and I like it that way.

Juan MarcoSaca Dada