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Steven Bumbera ’20 attended a workshop in the University of New 51����’s Samuel S. Bergami Jr. Cybersecurity Center in February that enabled him and his classmates to meet and learn from staff members from , a leading multinational development software company.

A computer science major, Bumbera networked with Red Hat staff members, including Andrea Hall, an associate solution architect who worked with leaders of the University’s cybersecurity & networks and computer science programs to plan the event. Bumbera will soon join Hall at Red Hat as a colleague, as he has accepted a position as a junior solutions architect.

“I am beyond excited,” said Bumbera, who completed an internship last summer at the , a nonprofit organization that manages federally funded research and development centers supporting U.S. government agencies. “Red Hat is my favorite company, and it offers a wonderful blend of technical and interpersonal working environments. This opportunity means the world to me.”

Bumbera, who served in the for five years and then worked in sales before enrolling at the University of New 51����, was one of several students who attended the workshop.

Organized by Ibrahim (Abe) Baggili, Ph.D., Elder Family Endowed Chair, assistant dean of the University's Tagliatela College of Engineering, and executive director of the University’s , and Cinthya Grajeda-Mendez ’17, ’20 M.S., the University’s Bergami Cybersecurity Center lab manager and a cFREG researcher, the workshop enabled students to learn about , an enterprise automation platform.

“When I was in college, Red Hat was a company I loved,” said Baggili, an internationally recognized expert in cybersecurity and digital forensics. “To have the company recruit University of New 51���� students – and to hold events on our campus – is an amazing opportunity, since they are constantly ranked as one of the best companies to work for worldwide.”

Bumbera is looking forward to beginning his position with the company in August. When he shared the good news with his network on , his post earned a lot of attention and support, as it was eventually viewed more than 24,000 times.

“I was absolutely shocked,” said Bumbera. “I was so thrilled with the opportunity that I wanted to share it with the world, and seeing everyone’s reactions helped legitimize my own. I’m grateful that the University prepared me with the technical skills I needed, but it was especially helpful in that it offered remarkable networking opportunities.”

The University is continuing to partner with Red Hat, and Dr. Baggili hopes they will host more workshops on campus.

“They are leaders in the open-source world, and a true catalyst in the technology industry,” he said. “I am sure they will be hiring a lot more students from our program in the near future.”

“Our commitment to being the open source leader means that we must attract people who will help us sustain and scale a culture that’s centered on transparency, sharing and collaboration,” added Allison McMurray, senior director of Global Talent Center of Excellence at Red Hat. “This includes attracting, hiring, and developing passionate, engaged early talent individuals such as Steven who remind us on a daily basis that the best ideas can come from anyone, anywhere.”