Ernest Hernandez

My path into cybersecurity started on a warehouse floor, not in a classroom.

I spent a decade with Whole Foods Market — first as a Compliance Auditor conducting regional regulatory and brand-standard audits, then directing daily operations for a 45-person production kitchen, where food safety compliance and risk reduction were part of the job every single day. When the pandemic's economic fallout led to my layoff, a friend helped me land — almost by chance — on Amazon's IT Logistics and Imaging team, managing IT equipment lifecycles and handling secure asset destruction in accordance with InfoSec policy.

That role changed everything. Working alongside security-minded colleagues showed me a field where my instinct for process, compliance, and risk mitigation had a direct technical outlet. I enrolled in a cybersecurity degree program the following term.

Today, I'm pursuing a Bachelor of Applied Technology in Cybersecurity with a Blue Team focus at St. Philip's College, hold an IT Cybersecurity Specialist Level 1 Certificate, and a Google Cybersecurity Professional Certificate. I also rank in the top 1% globally on TryHackMe, where I've completed hands-on paths in SOC operations, security engineering, and DevSecOps, and serve as Secretary of Cyber Tigers, my school's cybersecurity student organization supporting peer learning and security awareness initiatives.

I'm looking for an entry-level SOC Analyst, Threat Hunting, Incident Response, or GRC role where I can put both halves of my background to work — real-world compliance experience and a growing technical security skill set — toward strengthening an organization's security posture.

Open to connecting with fellow security folks, hiring managers, and anyone willing to talk shop about Blue Team work.