Hugh Ganem

Exploring Passion and Adaptability: Hugh Ganem's Journey at the Cal Poly California Cybersecurity Institute

B.S., Computer Science, 2025

What drew you to come work at the Cal Poly California Cybersecurity Institute?

Hugh was introduced to California Cybersecurity Institute by Adi Gottumukkala, a member of the Esports broadcasting team. Hugh’s skillsets and interests from the beginning were aligned with CCI, and he was hoping his time at would help prepare him for his career in software engineering.

What interests you about cybersecurity or technology?

Hugh is always interested in learning new things, and before coming to the CCI he had little experience or exposure to the world of cybersecurity. Hugh connected with CCI’s mission of teaching younger kids cybersecurity and software, and wishes he had something like that when he was in high school. Additionally, since working at CCI, Hugh has gained a greater interest in technology and learned how to better protect himself from cyber-attacks.

What have you been working on at the Cal Poly California Cybersecurity Institute? And what skills have you learned or applied during your tenure?

Hugh is one of the three Unity developers for the Space Grand Challenge. He and his team develop immersive rooms and implement cybersecurity challenges for the competition. The most important skill Hugh applied in his time at CCI is the flexibility of learning new technology, as he had never used Unity prior to this role. Hugh had to learn on the fly by leaning on his team and making sure to communicate.

How does the Cal Poly California Cybersecurity Institute fit in your future career?

Hugh and the Unity team follow the same development cycle that you will find at any software engineering job with very similar object-oriented programming. Hugh’s work for CCI has led to him building his foundational software engineering skills and has allowed him to apply everything he has learned from past classes and work experiences.

I looked at your LinkedIn profile and saw that you have an upcoming internship for Workday working as a software engineering intern. How has your time at CCI prepared you for this upcoming position?

Hugh cites the most important skill you can have in software engineering as adaptability, and your ability to learn on the fly as being crucial. Before CCI, Hugh had never worked with Unity, game development, or script editing. Going in with a lens of wanting to learn and gathering resources was key for Hugh becoming literate in Unity and game development. Hugh furthered important teamwork skills whilst adjusting to the new technologies and methods he learned.