Experience

  • University of Maryland Global Campus –

    • Associate of Arts in General Studies | May 2025

    Certifications –credly.com/users/taylorhsimmons

    • Cisco Certified Support Technician, Networking – May 2025

    • CompTIA Network+ –June 2025

    • CompTIA A+ – May 2025

    • Google IT Support – April 2025

    • Google IT Automation with Python – June 2025

    • CompTIA Security+ – Anticipated July 2025

    • Cisco Cetified Network Associate – Anticipated November 2025

  • dunnhumby | Customer Support Analyst | Rochester, NY | 2018

    • Acted as a liaison between customers, development team, and product management team, facilitating software implementation for organizational improvement.

    • Utilized Zendesk ticketing system to process support actions and requests, providing personalized technical assistance via Webex.

    • Diagnosed and troubleshot hardware, software, and network issues to ensure seamless customer support.

    • Documented solutions and best practices in Jira, contributing to the continuous improvement of the internal knowledge base.

  • 3rd Infantry Regiment | Squad Leader | Arlington, Virginia | 2023 - 2025

    • Completed over 250 ceremonial operations at Arlington National Cemetery while leading a team of 8 members.

    • Contributed to the logistical efforts for high-profile events including the 2024 NATO Summit and 2025 Presidential Inauguration. 

    • Preserved over one million dollars in equipment integrity by enforcing rigorous accountability processes across multiple assignments. 

    173rd Airborne Brigade | Team Leader | Vicenza, Italy | 2019 - 2023

    • Directed a four-member fire team in 13 multinational training exercises with 20 NATO partners, enhancing global interoperability. 

    • Consistently recognized for leadership excellence on evaluations, ranking in the top 5% of my peers.

    • Served as Radio Telephone Operator for 8 months, configuring, maintaining, and troubleshooting L3Harris tactical radios—including the AN/PRC-117G, AN/PRC-158, and AN/PRC-163—to ensure secure communications for a 38-member field operations team.

    • Integrated systems with ATAK by deploying small-form-factor End User Devices (EUDs) to enhance situational awareness and collaborative capability.

  • Cogito Innovations, LLC | DoD Skillbridge Intern | Hollywood, MD | 2025

    • Assisted senior engineers with network configuration and testing, including end-user device deployment and internal ACL implementation.

    • Collaborated with engineering teams on configuring and testing Ericsson, Teltonika, and Semtech-based tactical Starlink terminal routers, ensuring full connectivity and functionality prior to customer delivery.

    • Conducted hands-on testing and troubleshooting of IPSEC/L2TP tunnel performance by generating and monitoring layer 2 traffic, verifying proper routing and firewall policy enforcement.

    • Configured SSH access on an OpenWRT-based industrial SBC to support remote administration by overseas development teams.

    • Authored a Quick Start Guide in partnership with the Business Development team to accompany each product shipment, streamlining onboarding and reducing support inquiries.

    • Assisted in tracking IT inventory and participated in office moves requiring reinstallation of IT equipment. 

    • Utilized cable crimping tools and cable testers to terminate and verify CAT5 Ethernet cables in compliance with network standards. 

    Onward to Opportunity Fellow | Syracuse University IVMF | Remote | 2025

    • Selected for the Onward to Opportunity (O2O) cohort, a career skills training program for transitioning service members.

    • Preparing for the CompTIA Security+ certification through instructor-led coursework.

    • Completing comprehensive training in cybersecurity concepts, developing practical skills in security fundamentals, risk management, and network defense.

    • Collaborated with a cohort of transitioning service members, building professional networks and developing job search strategies.

  • Patuxent High School | Lusby, MD | 2024

    • Volunteered as an event evaluator at a high school NJROTC competition, grading drill team performances from local high schools and administering the physical training test.

Bridging the gap from Infantry to Technology

Back when I was a Radio Telephone Operator in the Army, my job was simple on paper: keep all the radios up. But in the field, that meant troubleshooting comms in the rain, managing dead batteries and patching broken cables, and making sure every voice reached its destination with no room for failure. That experience didn’t just teach me how to adapt under pressure, it sparked something deeper. I realized I loved making systems talk to each other. Radios, networks, people, it didn’t matter. The challenge of connection, of building something reliable out of chaos, stuck with me.

That spark led me here. Today, I’m pursuing a career in networking, armed with hands-on experience, a growing lab, and certifications like the A+ and Cisco CCST. I’m focused on becoming the kind of network engineer who can bring clarity to complexity, whether it’s in the field, the data center, or anywhere in between.

My mission is to support high-impact environments, whether in enterprise networks, edge deployments, or secure tactical operations. I’m especially interested in network engineering, layered network security, and automation tools like Ansible and Python.

I bring the same discipline and leadership that defined my military career to every technical challenge I take on. When I’m not working on configurations or breaking down packet captures, I’m probably in the gym, exploring new tech, or spending time with my family.