Hiegawa delivered a secure password handling enhancement for the apache/hadoop repository, focusing on backend development and database management using Java. They refactored both HikariDataSourceConnectionFactory and MySQLStateStoreHikariDataSourceConnectionFactory to utilize DFSUtil.getPassword, centralizing credential retrieval and improving the security and consistency of password management. This work addressed the requirements of HDFS-17873 and closed a related issue, laying the foundation for future password policy improvements. While no major bugs were fixed during this period, Hiegawa’s contribution enhanced maintainability by consolidating password logic for critical data sources, demonstrating depth in backend engineering and attention to long-term code quality.