Houston, Texas / Student portfolio

Stay curious.
Build. Test.
Verify.

I’m Anthony Poll, a cybersecurity and networking student working toward a career as a SOC Analyst. This is where I document what I build, troubleshoot, and learn.

Explore my projects ↗
anthony@homelab: ~
$ whoami
Anthony Poll
Cybersecurity & Networking student

$ current_focus
→ Linux & system troubleshooting
→ Network discovery & security
→ Local AI experimentation

$ mindset
Confidence isn't evidence.
01 / Learning through practice

Selected projects

Personal projects and lab experience. These summaries reflect work so far; ongoing goals are identified below.

01

Building a Linux home lab Ongoing

I took an older desktop and started turning it into a Linux lab. Getting it working meant figuring out boot problems, drivers, and RAM issues along the way.

LINUX · HARDWARE · BIOS/UEFI · NMAP
Explore the project

Work so far: Installing Linux, managing drivers, troubleshooting boot and hardware issues, testing RAM, and practicing local network discovery with Nmap.

What I’m learning: Break a problem into testable explanations, change one variable at a time, and use the results to decide the next step.

Next documentation: Add a lab diagram, selected command output, and a troubleshooting walkthrough.

02

CyberMind: exploring local AI In development

I wanted to understand what it takes to run my own AI. So I started CyberMind, got a local assistant running, and began figuring out what I want it to do next.

LOCAL LLMS · AI · TROUBLESHOOTING
Explore the project

Work so far: Set up and launched a local assistant, then began exploring ways to extend it.

Goals being explored: Persistent conversation memory, topic-based organization, mobile access, and routing harder questions to a cloud model.

What I’m learning: Getting a model running is one step. Checking its answers and understanding its limitations remain part of my responsibility.

From my notes

Selected writing

AI, Cybersecurity, and Questioning My First Conclusion

Exploring perception and prediction has sharpened one lesson for me: confidence isn’t evidence.

An AI tool might suggest that repeated failed logins indicate an attack. Investigating that explanation means checking logs, timing, and context—and considering alternatives such as outdated credentials.

The habit I want to build: treat an explanation as a hypothesis, test it against evidence, and revise it when needed.

Binary Perception

My perception shapes my understanding of reality, but it doesn’t define reality itself.

My expectations and the actual outcome can contradict each other, yet both shape what I learn. That’s why I try to leave room to revise my first interpretation.

02 / The person behind the projects

Learning by
figuring things out.

I’m a Cybersecurity Networking student at Houston City College. I enjoy understanding how things work, learning from what goes wrong, and putting that knowledge into practice.

My goal is to become a Security Operations Center (SOC) Analyst. Through coursework, practice, and home projects, I’m building a foundation in networking, system security, and vulnerability scanning.

LinuxPC troubleshootingTCP/IP fundamentalsNmapVulnerability scanning fundamentalsLocal AI setup
03 / Get in touch

Let’s talk technology.

I’m interested in entry-level IT and cybersecurity opportunities where I can keep learning and contribute practical problem-solving skills.

Email Anthony ↗