Meet Carriesha Houston: Defending Systems, Mentoring Peers and Building a Cyber Career
Meet Carriesha Houston
Carriesha Houston, a senior at Louisiana State University graduating in December 2025, is pursuing a degree in Information Systems and Analytics with a concentration in Cyber Risk. Over the past seven months, she has worked in LSU’s student-run Security Operations Center (SOC), addressing more than 1,200 events, confirming around 20 true positives and maintaining an impressive average audit score of 4.75.
Discovering a Passion for Cybersecurity
Born and raised in New Orleans, Carriesha grew up as the middle child of five sisters. From an early age, she gravitated toward technology long before she knew it would lead to a career path. Despite hearing that tech was a “male-dominated field,” she pursued her passion, knowing no other career could offer the same fulfillment. Switching her major from Computer Science to Information Systems and Analytics reignited her love for technology and introduced her to a strong community at LSU.
Hands-On Experience in the SOC
In March 2025, Carriesha joined Louisiana State University’s SOC, where she quickly proved her ability to handle real-world threats. She recalls her first true positive case as a defining moment: detecting a compromised user account with clear indicators of suspicious activity. Working with the team, she helped remediate the situation immediately, an exciting validation of her growing skills.
Beyond the Classroom
Carriesha’s college journey has been defined by a drive to take on challenges and expand her experiences. She earned an internship with CDW-G supporting campus technology, joined the Louisiana Army National Guard where she is on track to commission as an officer and worked as a Technical Support Operator for the FBI’s CJIS site. She is also deeply involved in campus and community organizations, mentoring underclassmen and encouraging them to find their own paths in technology.
What She Values Most
For Carriesha, the mentorship and engagement within the SOC are what she enjoys most. Managers push her team to investigate complex events and think beyond dashboards, helping them sharpen investigative and SPL query skills. She has learned firsthand the critical role SOC analysts play in defending accounts, systems, and people, often seeing prevention tools like Microsoft Defender work in real time.
Looking Ahead
After graduation in January 2026, Carriesha plans to begin her career as a cybersecurity analyst. She hopes to remain in the Southern states, Louisiana, Texas, Georgia, or Florida, but is open to relocating for the right opportunity. She is eager to bring her leadership, curiosity and commitment to the cybersecurity field.
Advice for Future Students
Carriesha encourages aspiring cybersecurity professionals to research the breadth of roles in the field, pursue certifications early, and build hands-on experience through labs, coding projects, and CTFs. “Technology is always evolving, and the goal is to stay ahead of the curve,” she advises. “To pursue a technical career, you should also have an innovative mind.”
Learn more about TekStream’s Workforce Development / Student-Run SOC model and how it prepares the next generation of cybersecurity analysts.