Kazi Rezwan: Coded for Success

Everyone has a different definition of success. For some, getting into the university of their choice is the ultimate goal, while for others success is determined by how much fun they have outside of the classroom. Regardless of how you define success, Kazi Rezwan fits the description.

With graduation on the horizon, it’s easy to forget all the hard work Rezwan put in to be where he is today. Before coming to Adelphi, he attended Hunter College High School, a school for intellectually gifted students, where he graduated with 28 college credits already in his pocket. The rigorous course load at Hunter gave Rezwan the necessary skills to manage his time, and it prepared him for the next stages of his life.

Although his academic record opened up many doors for Rezwan, he already had an idea that he wanted to attend Adelphi University. His older sister attended Adelphi, so he was able to visit campus and learn firsthand what the Adelphi experience really is before he began his college search. Something else Rezwan valued was the proximity to his home in Woodside, Queens. “I like living at home and being near my family, and I wouldn’t want to leave.” Ultimately, however, the reason he decided enroll at Adelphi was due to the overwhelmingly positive things he heard about the professors on campus. “My sister was always talking about how great professor Storm was,” he said.

Ahead of his first semester as a student at Adelphi University, Rezwan got a job as IT purchasing clerk, working for Bobby Handa, IT procurement administrator. Working with Handa gave Rezwan perspective on what goes into large-scale initiatives. IT Procurement does all tech related buying for the University, and many times they are the first to know about projects on campus, as they help assess scope and price. When Rezwan mentioned this experience he said “everyone needs to be on the same page, otherwise things slow down,” emphasizing the importance of a cohesive team and clear communication.

After his success as an IT purchasing clerk, Rezwan was promoted to student system administrator and now works with Fred Hicks, director of networking and communications. In his new role, some of his day-to-day tasks include, but are not limited to, performing physical maintenance on Adelphi’s data center servers, weekly data backups, and creating new user accounts. These are some tasks that are crucial to making sure the network is performing well.

In addition to these tasks, Rezwan was a member of the team behind the ideas for wireless network upgrades at Adelphi and the wifi signal strength reporting form, both of which have helped increase network reliability and signal strength. The networking team keeps the form open and are constantly checking input to continuously improve the wifi experinece.

While Rezwan has been working for IT on campus, he has also been working toward graduating in December 2017. His major is computer science with a focus in information security and a minor in math. Although classwork could sometimes be challenging, he doesn’t regret taking on the extra workload of being a student employee. “There’s a lot I learned from working here that I never would’ve learned from courses,” he said. “Plus, they [IT] always emphasize the priority of being a student, they’re always accommodating my schedule.”

One course that has been an exciting change of pace for Rezwan has been Computer and Network Security. “They go over everything from a security standpoint, and instead of just writing code I learned how to break code,” he said. “I thought that was really cool.”

That class is one of many where he’s had the opportunity to form his own relationships with the professors that his sister spoke so highly about. “Lee Stemkoski is fantastic. I only needed to take two classes this semester to graduate, but I’m taking a third class because professor Stemkowski is teaching it.” Rezwan also formed a bond with Kees Leune, Ph.D., who has given him suggestions on things to do pre- and post-graduation.

One of the recommendations Dr. Leune gave Rezwan was to get the CISSP Credential, the premier cybersecurity certification. Although he can’t take the certification exam yet, Rezwan is confident that the classes he’s taken at Adelphi have put him on the path that will allow him to achieve this goal. Adelphi’s recent partnership with Lynda.com has allowed him to learn even more, and has taken advantage of that resource to watch videos by the man who wrote the prep book for the CISSP credential.

No matter how you look at the past few years in Rezwan’s life, it’s hard to deem it anything less than a resounding success. He’s been able to tackle a full course load of work while working for Adelphi IT, and he’s built everlasting relationships as both a student and an employee. As Rezwan is about to graduate and begin steps on a new journey, he can be proud of everything he’s accomplished so far.