I still remember the thrill of discovering the internet’s potential as a kid. Sitting in front of that clunky PC running Windows XP, clicking all types of crazy links & downloading countless viruses. Not all of these were failures, as one of my first success stories is a huge reason as to why I’m here today. I managed to install an unlimited coin generator on Club Penguin, my favorite online game at the time. I could simply type in any username and the amount of coins I wanted to gift, and it actually worked! That experience lit a spark in me—a spark to explore, understand, and ultimately manipulate different types of software.

This early fascination with video game exploits led me down a rabbit hole of digital mischief. I spent countless hours learning how systems worked, from jailbreaking iOS devices and consoles to even tinkering with hardware when I could. When Pokémon Go came out, I took things a step further by spoofing my location to catch any Pokémon I wanted—and even helped friends snag their favorites.

While none of these exploits turned into a serious business venture, they set the foundation for my lifelong passion for technology and eventually cybersecurity. Those early adventures taught me to think critically about how systems can be manipulated and sparked a fire within me forever and is exactly what led me to where I am today.