Shavvon Cintron: Women's History Month Profile

Shavvon Cintron, Service Desk supervisor, once had her eye on a career in law enforcement. Lucky for us, she has merged her experience in healthcare with a talent for tech, and now oversees customer support at our SMARTDesk. If you've ever gotten help from a support tech, or received an Evergreen laoptop, chances are Shavvon has been involved. She also keeps her passion for digital forensics alive by leading a cybsersecurity non-profit, and hitting the tech conference circuit with inventive presentations about depictions of technology in popular cinema.

How many years have you been with ITS?  

To many people’s surprise, I've been here 10 years. Well, officially it will be ten years in May. 

Congratulations, that's quite an achievement. What department were you in before ITS? 

I was in the Neurology department. 

And what did you do in Neurology? 

I went from being a floater, to a call center representative, to a customer service support specialist, which is their version of a supervisor for the call center. 

What is a floater? 

A floater is somebody who can fill in any role. If somebody calls out, they’ll fill in that role for the day. So, for example, if someone calls out who is an assistant for a doctor who has patients all day, the floater will work on patient duties and authorizations. 

So you have to know how to do a lot of different things. 

Correct. 

And what drew you to the ITS department from there? 

I've always been interested in IT, but I could not find a way to divert into the ITS group. Then I had the wonderful opportunity to work with our VoIP team multiple times because of being in the call center. We also had many desktop visits, so I would watch the ITS techs troubleshoot. And when my group had issues with technology, I was usually the one who was dabbling in it. Checking if it is a driver issue or the application software on the machine. And I would tell my Neurology colleagues what to say so that they were prepared for a conversation with ITS. 

So you have a natural inclination towards tech, it comes easy to you? 

Yes. 

They were lucky to have you on the clinical side. What do you think some of the similarities are between working in a clinical practice and working with ITS? 

In ITS, we do a lot of digging to get to a resolution. Which is similar to what I did in the clinical spaces. But at the same time, there is a difference in patient care versus support. Something else that is similar is the learning you do on the job. Like learning things like how to get a prior authorization – that’s something you take with you. It's a soft skill and it's very important. You're constantly learning, reading, keeping up with industry trends. 

In your own words, what is your current role at its? 

My role is multifaceted! I’m the Supervisor of the SMARTDesk. But in addition to that, I oversee distribution for our Evergreen service. I handle customer service and survey response. And I make sure that our Evergreen service is fully functional and everybody is on board. It's a big job. 

I work with you a lot on Evergreen. We’re a couple years in, do you think we’re hitting a rhythm with it? 

I do think we are hitting a rhythm. I like the fact that we have expanded from PCs to Macs, so we can give people the operating system they are comfortable using. And we’ve streamlined processes for example, we make sure something isn’t accidentally disconnected. 

In addition to Evergreen, what are some projects or initiatives you've worked on to improve the tech experience for the Weill Cornell community?  

One of the biggest ones I've been a part of is ensuring that our standard devices are up to date in compliance with HIPAA regulations. I have been a stakeholder for the NAC project – network access controls. And we are working on the transition from Windows 10 to Windows 11. 

On the subject of talking to customers about keeping their machines compliant, do you find that you need to explain it, or do people understand why it's important? 

I do find myself having to explain about staying in compliance or knowing the differences between standard and non-standard devices. We have to explain it in a non-technical way. 

Does that remind you of the type of communicating you did in patient care? 

All the time. 

You also have a real passion for cybersecurity. Can you tell me about how you got into that? 

I have a bachelor's degree in criminal justice, and I wanted to be a cop. When I started my career, it was in healthcare, but I wanted to figure out where I could go from there. I took the NYPD exam, took the physical, and I failed. But I wanted something that had that investigative aspect, but also technology as well. So, I came across cybersecurity. My interests became focused on digital forensics, investigating, and open-source intelligence. 

On my off time. I started a cybersecurity blog. I’m also part of a non-profit, the Women's Society of Cyberjutsu, where I’m the volunteer director of women's education. I help create their educational resources, and I speak with vendors about giving back to the community.

Shavvon served on the planning committee for Cyberjutsu Day 2023

Shavvon attending BSides NYC, a non-profit career village celebration 

You also attend conferences, right? What have your experiences been like at those? 

At the Cyberjutsu conference, I had opportunity to speak about the movie “Wreck it, Ralph: Ralph Breaks Internet,” and how it explains IT and cybersecurity concepts. I challenge everybody to see the movie with a technical hat on. 

Shavvon delivering her talk on Ralph Breaks the Internet at the Cyberjutsu conference in Washington DC

I have also gone to conferences that have been more “suit and tie” affairs. I learned a lot, but I probably could have found a way to blend in a bit more. But I’m just meant to stand out.  

How did people receive your Wreck it, Ralph presentation? 

They loved it. They suggested that I continue with the series. I have one coming down the pipe. The next movie is another Disney movie called “Ron's Gone Wrong,” It's about AI and machine learning capabilities, and one of my least favorite things: drop shipping. 

What is your favorite part about your job? 

I have a few favorite things. I like helping others, learning, and my team.  I'm nobody without my team. I've learned so much from them, and I'm happy that I've been able to grow with my technicians.  Everybody has a part to play. I call it “the body.” We're all one body and each part functions with the others. 

Who are some women you admire and why? 

Within our department, Paula Herber and Lidiya Walsh have helped me grow throughout my career, they are also very knowledgeable. And outside of our department, congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. She is from New York and she does whatever she can to fight for individual rights. She is not one to stand down and I admire that so much, especially being a Hispanic woman myself. There are not many women or Hispanic women in either of our industries. 

What are some of your interests outside of work? 

I'm a Disney adult. I go to Disney at least once a year. 

Do you have a favorite Disney Park? 

I have to say Orlando, Magic Kingdom. I’ve also been on a Disney cruise to the Bahamas, which was a lot of fun. 

Shavvon and Miguel from Coco on a Disney adventure

What makes a Disney cruise a Disney cruise? 

They have the Disney characters on the cruise, and they have their own island: Castaway Cay. 

I've met a fair amount of Disney fans in ITS. I have a feeling people will be reaching out to you, wanting to take a vacation.