about
I'm Desmond Le, a Computer Science graduate from UMass Boston with interests in cybersecurity, systems programming, networking, and applied machine learning. I enjoy understanding how technology works underneath the surface — especially operating systems, security, low-level programming, and computer networks.
I spent a semester studying computer science at UNAM (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México) in Mexico City — entirely in Spanish — where I built hands-on offensive-security projects like a buffer-overflow exploit and a keylogger proof-of-concept.
Outside of technical work, I founded Anhelo Salsa Club at UMass Boston, where I organized classes, collaborated with student organizations, helped grow a dance community, and led a large campus salsa event with live music. That experience helped me build communication, leadership, planning, and teamwork skills.
My goal is to keep growing as a technical professional while staying grounded, curious, and connected to the communities around me.
I founded Anhelo because I wanted to create the kind of welcoming dance community I wish I'd had when I first started learning salsa — a place where beginners feel comfortable learning, making mistakes, and connecting with others through music and dance.
I filed the club application in September 2025, and Anhelo was approved as an official student organization in mid-December 2025 — then launched and scaled through the Spring 2026 semester. In a single semester, it grew into an active campus community centered on dance, culture, and connection — built around inclusivity and growth rather than elitism. I built its identity from the ground up, ran weekly practices, recruited members, collaborated with campus partners, and eventually transitioned leadership to new officers so it could continue after me.
- Built a functioning student organization within a single semester
- Established weekly practices and beginner-friendly lessons
- Created a recognizable salsa community on campus
- Organized a large collaborative dance event in the club's first semester
- Set a club culture focused on inclusivity, growth, and community
Weekly Practices
Beginner-friendly lessons and social dancing every week — the heartbeat of the club and an easy first step for newcomers.
Café con Pan
An ethnomusicology series digging into salsa's history, theory, and lore — the music and culture behind the dance, not just the steps.
Org Collaborations
Small-scale partnerships with other student organizations to bring social dance events to campus.
Choreographies
Team choreography developed with club members throughout the semester, building toward performances.
Salsa by the Sunset
● live music · Proyecto ClaveAnhelo's flagship event — and the one we pulled together from the ground up. We brought in multiple UMass Boston student organizations along with dance orgs from outside the university, with Anhelo leading the coordination end to end: live music by Proyecto Clave, a student dance performance, food, and a big cross-campus turnout. I helped lead planning across the board — coordinating the partner orgs and campus departments, working through vendor and purchase-order details, supporting live-music planning, driving promotion, and managing event flow on the day.
Founding Anhelo taught me how to turn an idea into a real organization — bringing people together, planning events, communicating with different groups, managing responsibilities, and creating something that could outlast me. Salsa itself has taught me discipline, confidence, humility, and how to stay calm under pressure.
Dance has made me a better communicator, leader, teammate, and learner — and those are the same things I bring to a technical team.