From one interest to the next

Escrito por: Dulce Ortiz 🇬🇹

Headshot of Justin Guzman. (Ashley Neyra)

During his sixth grade year, a teacher brought her husband, who was a mechanical engineer, to the classroom to discuss his career. This would quickly become one of the most inspirational days for Justin Guzman, an aspiring student destined for success, porque supo que él también quería trabajar una carrera de STEM. 

Guzman attended a trade school equivalent in high school, allowing him to delve into areas like robotics, science, and engineering. Sus talentos lo llevaron a clasificar a campeonatos estatales y programas educativos con especialización en tecnología y matemáticas. 

“That’s what kind of built my love for STEM in general. I also think taking apart a computer or stuff like that kind of helped me build that passion as well,” said Guzman.

He felt like he could continue his exploration of interests at UMD, especially since his close friend was already a student here. Through admission to The C.D. Mote, Jr. Incentive Awards Program and mentorship from said friend, he dabbled in the fields of mechanical engineering, physics, and computer science. Despite each having their share of setbacks against him, Guzman persevered until discovering his now major of information science. 

“I like to try new things all the time, so I just don’t stick to one thing at once,” said Guzman. 

En sus cuatro años, participó en una variedad de extracurriculares, hizo muchos amigos, y luego ejerció una pasantia, lo cual lo inspiró a seguir los siguientes pasos de su futuro.

“What I figured out throughout the internship and throughout these last two years is that I want to go into cybersecurity and build networks — basically cybersecurity networking. And that's kind of like a passion I built throughout these two years of being in info-sci,” he said.

Decisiones como estas eran importantes para Guzman. Despite having siblings who have graduated from Ecuadorian universities, he is the first in his family to graduate from an American university. 

Justin Guzman will be graduating from the iSchool which is housed at Hornbake Library. (Maximo Legaspi)

“Being known for being the first person here, or like, first-generation aspect, is just, it is something to be happy about, but also draining as well,” Guzman said. Adjusting to a fast-paced learning environment, understanding which study habits worked best, or finding the right major were all areas he struggled in throughout his journey. 

Pero los modelos influenciales en su vida, incluyendo su novia, lo motivan a seguir adelante.

“Everybody struggles the same way as you do, and that's the thing that motivates me to keep going through education and not giving up on college,” he said.

Después de graduarse, Guzman wants to work in IT systems support while also obtaining certifications for a job in cybersecurity. In the future, he plans to earn his master’s in cybersecurity networking.