$whoami

Hey! My name is Jada Cumberland. At the time of writing this post, I am a Cyber Operations major and Computer Science minor at Old Dominion University (ODU) graduating in December 2025. I am heavily interested in pursuing a career in penetration testing, reverse engineering/malware analysis, or network security.

Ever since my middle school days, I have loved technology. I started just by building basic HTML pages and JavaScript projects through KhanAcademy, and quickly moved onto more advanced coding using Python in the high school Girls Who Code chapter I started. My high school also gave me the opportunity to participate in cybersecurity competitions, participate in professional development, and earn my Security+ through beginner cybersecurity classes.

At ODU, I have been heavily involved. I currently serve as the President for our Cyber Security Student Association (CS2A), the Director of External Affairs for the Blue Crown Society, and the Social Media Manager for the Monarch Steel ensemble. My other interests include video games, reading, archery, music, and writing.

Thus far, I have had 3 internships: one as the Community Operations Intern at Synack, Inc. and two as a Naval Research Enterprise Internship Program participant at the Naval Information Warfare Center Atlantic (NIWC Atlantic). The first provided me with a great introduction to the industry and its roles (and some awesome people!) while the second two allowed me to get hands-on with basic cybersecurity implementation and risk management.

$man jadacumberland.com

Okay, so why am I writing all this? The purpose of this blog (and this website in general) is to document my professional journey through the realm of cybersecurity. I plan to create write-ups of challenges I complete on platforms like CrackMyApp and HackTheBox, and share any projects I may be working on like HorseUpgrades, my brand new homelab, and a yet-to-be-started file system emulator. The goal of these things is always, of course, to learn more about technology and cybersecurity, but also to explore my passion and have fun while doing so. If you've somehow found your way here, welcome! I invite you to follow along my journey. Perhaps along the way, you will learn something new too.

A special thanks to Ozgur Alp for letting me use his website as an initial template, although I've made many changes to it since then.