About
Location
Cerritos, CA
Education Status
Bachelors Degree
Linked In
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathan-che1/
Education #1
UC Irvine
Bachelors Degree - Computer Science Major
September 2024Still Attending in Irvine, CA
- UCI Alumni Association Endowed Freshman Scholar ($10,000 Scholarship) - Software Engineer @ ZotBins (Environmental sustainability research group, creating automated trash sorting bins throughout UCI campus with artificial Intelligence) - Software Engineer @ Commit the Change (Designing website for Colette's Children's Home, non-profit organization supporting homeless mothers and children, for 150+ volunteers).
Certificate #1
Amazon Web Services Certified Cloud Practitioner
Amazon100 - 500 Hours | Incomplete
2024-09-03
The AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner certification validates foundational, high-level understanding of AWS Cloud, services, and terminology. It goes in-depth on the most popular cloud services like S3 buckets, VPS/VPN, IAM Permissions, and much more. Furthermore, it requires deep knowledge of the cloud adoption framework, benefits/cons of the cloud, and the architecture behind AWS.
Certificate #2
U.S Naval Academy Summer STEM Certificate
United States Naval Academy50 - 100 Hours | Incomplete
2022-06-24
Acceepted into rigorous (~5% acceptance rate) merit-based STEM program at USNA where I got to live alongside midshipmen at the academy. Learned about naval architecture, computeer science, and electrical engineering through college-level classes.
Certificate #3
GIAC Foundational Cybersecurity Technologies
SANS Institute50 - 100 Hours | Incomplete
2023-09-14
Awarded as part of being a National Cyber Scholarship Finalist, which covered the $3,300 tuition cost for the SANS Institute. The course and exam cover security concepts for Windows and Linux OS, and advanced techniques including firewall management, privilege escalation, and exfiltration. Studied ~2-3 hours per day over summer to prepare for the exam and passed with a 93%.
Certificate #4
U.S. Cyber Challenge Camp Certificate
U.S Cyber Challenge Camp50 - 100 Hours | Incomplete
2023-08-02
Invited to attend after successfully passing the GIAC Foundational Cybersecurity Technologies certification exam and being named National Cybersecurity Scholarship Finalist with Honors. Only top 1000 undergraduates and high school students in the nation are selected to attend based on national competitions like CyberPatriot, CyberStart America, and U.S Cyber Challenge. There I learned about Linux system artifact forensics and app penetration with famous cybersecurity professionals such as Hal Pomeranz.
Experience #1
Transportation Career Academy Intern
Los Angeles Metro
June 2023 - August 2023 |
~ 20 Hours
Research and Development | Transportation - Ground, Air, Space
Nominated as Secretary for the Smart City Infrastructure research area, in which I led and managed our team of ~15 interns' various tasks, research, and schedule throughout the day. I was also responsible for recording our research onto official documents and reporting it to our employers. For research, I utilized my background in computer science to dive deep into implementing artificial intelligence and contactless systems into modern day transportation. Specifically, I looked into the cost, benefit, and code that would be needed/gained in order to implement a Biometric Authentication system such as face recognition into our transportation systems for efficient payment and disease prevention. Our team placed 1st place in our research area and was runner-up out of ~12 research intern groups.
Experience #2
Summer Coding Instructor
TheCoderSchool
June 2022 - August 2022 |
~ 10 Hours
Software Development | Educational Services
- Led lessons on programming languages such as Python, LuaU for game development, and JavaScript for interactive website development for 30+ students weekly over the summer. - Created custom lessons that included both conceptual and hands-on technical projects to enrich student learning and individualize lessons.
Experience #3
Tech Pathway Intern (UNITE-LA)
Microsoft
December 2023 - April 2024 |
~ 10 Hours
IT Support & Cybersecurity | Information
- Collaborated with Microsoft and SnapChat software engineers and led 5 interns to develop a profile recommendation engine architecture to help 3,400,000+ low-income students get matched to tutors. - Designed technical diagram in LucidCharts, showcasing backend with AWS ElastiCache for vector embeddings, cosine similarity K-Nearest Neighbor search, and GPT-3.5 for data wrangling. - Completed Software Engineering, Product Management, and Artificial Intelligence Microsoft certifications. - Placed 2nd overall in the startup pitch competition with team. Led technical side of presentation and designed entire UI/UX of project.
Experience #4
Software Engineer
Kerymen Property Management
January 2025 - February 2025 |
~ 20 Hours
Software Development | Real Estate
- Developed a video understanding AI reasoning agent and deployed it on 50+ surveillance cameras in malls valued at $150M+ to detect crime, replacing off-site security and reducing annual costs from $80,000 to ~$5,000. - Built a data pipeline with OpenCV and Real Time Streaming Protocol to upload footage to Amazon S3 for permanent high-quality video storage for tenants to review. - Integrated SMS notifications via AWS Simple Notification Service, delivering real-time alerts with video summaries, camera name, time, and location to on-site security and 30+ tenants
Extracurricular #1
Whitney High School CyberPatriot Club
President & Founder
September 2020 - May 2024 |
~ 20 Hours
Started competing on the school's 5 student cybersecurity team which represented Whitney High School nationally in the CyberPatriot competition. However, I decided to transform the team into a club during 10th grade (2022) to allow more students, specifically underclassmen, to participate in learning cybersecurity. Wrote a 20-page logistical document during summer and then conducted a business pitch style presentation to school administration to receive approval for the club. Raised the club from nothing to 100+ members now, ~30 of which represent our school nationally in the CyberPatriot competition. In order to train students and provide a quality cybersecurity education, I not only hosted weekly team trainings, but also formed a partnership with Cypress College by reaching out to Professor Ben Izadhi of the Information Systems department. Now underclassmen from his class mentor us on a weekly basis to prepare for difficult rounds of the CyberPatriot competition. This has allowed over 5 of our teams to make it past the state semi-final round and even have one of our teams reach top 30 in the U.S. Beyond just allowing my high school to learn cybersecurity, I also initiated new programs around the ABC Unified School District to allow local elementary school students to have access to a STEM education. I personally reached out to every principal in the district and setup logistical meetings for those who were interested to setup weekly cybersecurity classes run by volunteers of the CyberPatriot club. Now we currently service over 150+ elementary school students on a weekly basis in various different elementary schools. I have also not only led the curriculum development among my volunteers, but created multiple cybersecurity games in Python, PowerShell, and JavaScript for students to interact with during lessons.
Extracurricular #2
ROBLOX
Game Programmer
September 2020 - September 2022 |
~ 30 Hours
During the COVID-19 lockdown I decided to utilize my computer programming skills for game development through the language LuaU on ROBLOX (3D game creation and playing platform). Since I already had a background in Python and JavaScript I started off learning the fundamentals of game physics, hit detection (Region3), and various sort/search algorithms to make games memory-efficient. My work and code soon got recgonized as I published everything onto social media platforms, which allowed me to become commissioned by various game studios to make subsystems. This often meant I had to lead a team of user interface designers, animators, and 3D artists to execute certain tasks. In total I earned $1,500 from game commissions alone. My work on social media has also been seen by 1,000+ people.
Extracurricular #3
Admissions Ambassador Program
Ambassador
June 2022 - May 2024 |
~ 20 Hours
Every summer since 10th grade I have been a major part of my school's Admissions Ambassador program. This program allows incoming freshmen to experience Whitney High School before enrolling through a series of parent/student tours led by upperclassmen. I have been a tour guide for multiple summers now and have led a total of 25+ families around the school. I use this opportunity as a time to meet new faces and improve my communication skills. Hence, I always love giving personal insight on the academics, clubs, and classes that Whitney High School has to offer, while also assuring to students I am their friend the moment they step onto campus. Prior to tours, I spend multiple days memorizing the school maps, teachers, and stories behind certain buildings in order to make it interesting. I was personally commended by our school principal for "outstanding effort" throughout my tours.
Extracurricular #4
International Humanitarian Foundation
Board Director
September 2020 - May 2024 |
~ 10 Hours
During the COVID-19 lockdown I felt a sense of sadness, watching relatives, neighbors, and classmates be affected by the virus. With hospitals overflooding as well, my friends and I decided to make a change within our community. Considering the fact that we were all able-bodied teenagers, we decided to create the International Humanitarian Foundation non-profit organization that would help out local food shelters by volunteering. We publicized the organization towards high schools within the ABC Unified School District and gathered together dozens of student volunteers. Together we would go on the weekends to the Orange County Food Bank, California Food Bank, and other senior centers to assist. Personally, I volunteered 100+ hours which awarded me with the Gold Presidential Volunteer Service Award. As a Board Director, I was also in charge of creating newsletters for our members and local families. These newsletters contained information regarding health safety tips, diets, and COVID prevention strategies for families.
Extracurricular #5
ZotBins
Software Engineer
September 2024 - February 2027 |
~ 10 Hours
ZotBins is an undergraduate research team focused on developing artificial intelligence smart waste bins on the UC Irvine campus. These smart bins utilize image classification AI models to sort trash into recycling and compost automatically. Role: - Developed 20+ API routes in C# for 30+ live smart waste bins to communicate images, battery status, location, and fill level to our backend hosted on Amazon Web Services. - Designed and programmed data visualization site linked to PostgreSQL database so that 40+ non-technical users can seamlessly add, change, or delete data on the waste bins live.
Extracurricular #6
ZotBins
Software Engineer
September 2024 - February 2027 |
~ 10 Hours
ZotBins is an undergraduate research team focused on developing artificial intelligence smart waste bins on the UC Irvine campus. These smart bins utilize image classification AI models to sort trash into recycling and compost automatically. Role: - Developed 20+ API routes in C# for 30+ live smart waste bins to communicate images, battery status, location, and fill level to our backend hosted on Amazon Web Services. - Designed and programmed data visualization site linked to PostgreSQL database in React.JS, allowing non-technical users to seamlessly add, change, or delete data on the waste bins live.
Extracurricular #7
Commit The Change
Software Engineer
September 2024 - February 2027 |
~ 10 Hours
Commit the Change is an undergraduate computer science club at UC Irvine that creates websites, software, and technical designs for non-profit organizations in the SoCal area. Role: - Developed website for Collete's Children's Home, a non-profit organization providing services towards 150+ homeless mothers and children, in Vite, TypeScript, React.JS, HTML, and CSS. - Collaborated with 20+ software engineers on the team, taking part in pair programming through Live Share. - Utilized version control tools and sprint methodologies to complete 15+ features for the website, including but not limited to, navigation bars, PostgreSQL linked dashboards, API endpoints, and more.
Award #1
National Cyber Scholarship Finalist with Honors
2023-09-01
Preliminary award is given to the top 1,000 out of 50,000 high school and undergraduate students in national cybersecurity competitions CyberPatriot, CyberStart America, and U.S. CyberQuests. I was selected on my ranking in the CyberStart America competition, which was a self-paced capture the flag style cybersecurity competition, where players had to utilize code, encryption techniques, and forensics in order to find vulnerabilities within systems such as Windows, Linux, and even IoT devices like refrigerators. Upon being chosen and accepted after an application, you are then awarded with a $3,300 in scholarship and access to the GIAC Foundational Cybersecurity Technologies taught by SANS Institute. For this exam I studied ~2-3 hours per day, reviewing course material both online and on the provided textbooks. This allowed me to pass with a 93% and receive "Honors" for this award.
Award #2
CyberPatriot Gold Division Semi-Finalist
2024-03-01
To gain this award your team in the CyberPatriot competition must place in the top 25% in the nation out of 5000 other teams within both the state round and preliminary rounds of the competition. Ranking is based on points gained from fixing and securing vulnerable operating systems such as Windows, Linux, Fedora, and Cisco networks. I focused on Windows Server (2007 edition) and spent every night reviewing technical documentation released on the Microsoft security implementation guide of the operating system to create a checklist prior to competition. I also led my team by hosting bi-weekly meetings where we would sit together in a call either improving checklists or fixing virus-infected machines online to constantly improve our skills. Through our efforts we placed top 30 in the nation within the Gold Division and was named the best team in Southern California by Cypress College.
Award #3
CyberPatriot Gold Division Semi-Finalist / SocalCCCC Top Gold Team
2024-03-01
To gain this award your team in the CyberPatriot competition must place in the top 25% in the nation out of 5000 other teams within both the state round and preliminary rounds of the competition. Ranking is based on points gained from fixing and securing vulnerable operating systems such as Windows, Linux, Fedora, and Cisco networks. I focused on Windows Server (2007 edition) and spent every night reviewing technical documentation released on the Microsoft security implementation guide of the operating system to create a checklist prior to competition. I also led my team by hosting bi-weekly meetings where we would sit together in a call either improving checklists or fixing virus-infected machines online to constantly improve our skills. Through our efforts we placed top 30 in the nation within the Gold Division and was named the best team in Southern California by Cypress College.
Award #4
Gold Presidential Volunteer Service Award
2022-09-01
Awarded through school's robotics club, in which I led a robotics summer camp geared towards K-6th in the local community. Specifically, I led a group 30 volunteers to create a 2 week curriculum that revolved around programming in Java, 3D modeling, and team work, while also preparing logistics of the event such as outreaching to parents, coordinating payments, and creating syllabuses. These tasks paired with the 70 hours of on-site teaching during the camp placed me at 100+ hours of community service, making me eligible for the award.
Award #5
UCI Alumni Association Endowed Freshman Scholar
2024-07-01
Selected for invitation-only scholarship award from the UCI Alumni Association that awards $10,000 over the course of four years to incoming freshman undergraduates who demonstrate academic excellence, community service and leadership potential. Only freshman selected out of 850 students, < 1% selection rate.
Projects
Goals
Assessments