I'm Steve Padilla-Benitez and an Apprentice to Technology

Welcome to my portfolio! This website was hand-coded using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. By adapting and expanding upon a core template, I've created a living representation of my current technical abilities and a hub for my ongoing projects. Currently, I am pursuing my Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Information Systems at California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH). I am also in the process of expanding my academic scope by petitioning for a minor in Information Systems Security, with a strong interest in Data Analytics. Now, you may be wondering: "Why are you making websites from scratch and deep-diving into code if you are a Business Major?" The answer lies in an intense, long-standing passion for Computer Science and all things tech. That spark was ignited years ago during my very first web development class in a high school in Mexico. Later, when it came time to pick a college major, I felt pulled toward Computer Science but realized the tech landscape was too vast to choose a path without exploration. I decided to take a discovery hiatus—a period of intense, self-guided learning. I immersed myself in the terminal, teaching myself advanced Linux system administration. I spent countless hours configuring dual-boot environments, experimenting with distributions like Ubuntu and CachyOS, and customizing tiling window managers like Hyprland. My curiosity naturally led me down the rabbit holes of virtualization, penetration testing, system hardening, and teaching myself new programming languages. Recently, that self-taught momentum has shifted aggressively toward Artificial Intelligence and cybersecurity. I spend my time building with local Large Language Models (LLMs), researching model quantization, and developing complex, local-first multi-agent orchestrators designed to streamline software development. I am also passionate about creating educational tools, such as platforms that serve both as Linux educational hubs and professional automation utilities. When I finally delved back into college, I realized I wanted to learn the one crucial component I couldn't easily teach myself in a terminal: the Business side. I wanted to understand how secure software development practices, architectural planning (like drafting System Requirements Specifications for mobile wellness apps), and technology ultimately solve real-world organizational problems. It has been a dynamic journey, blending rogue self-teaching with structured business and security acumen. I am incredibly glad to have learned so much from the years prior, as it gives me a unique, highly technical lens on business systems. Navigate through this website with the sidebar to see what I'm working on. If you run into any issues or bugs, let me know! I am always iterating and will fix them as soon as I can. Thank you for dropping by!