HNU's IT staff rise to the challenge of COVID-19

Responding to Help Desk tickets after hours, calmly offering support and equipment to stressed-out staff, faculty, and students, and keeping the University operating smoothly while operating virtually—these are just a few of the reasons HNU’s Information Technology (IT) staff are HNU’s #HeroicHawks.

“The courage and selflessness of those working on the front line battling the COVID-19 virus have inspired me to do my part,” said Hugo Melara, HNU Help Desk Technician. “To cope with COVID-19, I  remind myself that things could be worse. Even during shelter-in-place, my team and I are able to continue to provide support.”

Besides providing real-time support to the Holy Names community, HNU’s IT Department led the implementation of technological improvements across campus, such as the launch of a virtual student portal, and a move to more centralized cloud-based systems, that have allowed the University to smoothly transition to a virtual environment.

“I like the teaching aspect of my job. Helping an end-user, especially ones who are willing to learn,  understand how a program works is fun. I also enjoy introducing software, applications, and shortcuts to impact their efficiency positively,” explains Melara. “Helping them helps my team and me.”

Thank you to the entire IT team—Joshua Caneca, Jay Castillo, Jeremiah Ellington, Diyna Johnson, Hugo Melara, Glenn Sager, and William Wanker—for all they have done and continue to do to keep our community safe and connected.