Rachel Dickerson: From Investigation to Impact in the SOC
Meet Rachel Dickerson
Rachel Dickerson will graduate from Louisiana State University in August 2026 with a degree in Information Systems & Analytics. She holds a Microsoft IT Support certification and HubSpot Inbound Sales certification and is currently pursuing Network+, SAFe Scrum Master, and AWS Cloud Practitioner certifications. Rachel has spent four months in LSU’s student-run Security Operations Center (SOC), where she has investigated 158 events and identified three confirmed true positives, escalating potential incidents to Tier 2 SOC Analysts for further response.
Discovering a Passion for Cybersecurity
Born and raised in Baton Rouge, Rachel began working at just 14 years old and started her professional career in 2022. Since then, she has built experience across Human Resources, Accounting, Data Analysis, Project Management and Information Technology.
Her work in the Student SOC at LSU sparked her interest in cybersecurity. Rachel is particularly drawn to the intersection of psychology, communication, management and cybersecurity — especially how data is stored, processed and protected. In addition to her professional experience, she has participated in a research project with LSU’s Department of Economics and is actively pursuing research opportunities in cybersecurity. She is also involved in the Association for Information Technology Professionals, the National Society of Black Engineers and the Louisiana Army National Guard, experiences that have strengthened her discipline, adaptability and leadership skills.
Memorable SOC Experience
One of Rachel’s most impactful investigations involved an anonymous IP address repeatedly attempting to access a user account. What initially appeared to be a routine alert led her to conduct a 30-day historical analysis to establish a behavioral baseline. She identified consistent authentication failures tied to locked accounts, conditional access policies and repeated login attempts from widely different geolocations.
The activity closely matched password spray attack behavior and targeted applications requiring administrative privileges, increasing the overall risk. Through open-source intelligence research, Rachel discovered the IP address was associated with VPN and proxy services and had a history of abuse. Although there was a single successful authentication attempt, access was ultimately blocked by the tenant. After outreach and validation, the activity was confirmed as a true positive incident.
The case stood out because alerts of this type are often dismissed as benign. Rachel’s decision to investigate beyond the surface demonstrated the value of a human-in-the-loop approach—where analyst judgment adds the context and critical thinking automation can’t, helping prevent account compromise and protect organizations from malicious actors.
What She Enjoys Most
Rachel values the collaborative environment of the SOC and the opportunity to learn from knowledgeable peers and leadership. Working alongside experienced analysts challenges her to think critically and sharpen her technical skills each day. She appreciates being part of a competitive, growth-oriented team that encourages initiative and continuous improvement.
Skills Learned in the SOC
During her time in the SOC, Rachel has developed both technical and professional skills, including:
- Using SIEM tools such as Splunk to analyze and correlate security events
- Strengthening digital forensics and incident response (DFIR) fundamentals
- Conducting effective event triage and documentation
- Communicating clearly with clients and internal teams
- Taking initiative to go beyond assigned tasks to deepen investigative findings
Looking Ahead
After graduation, Rachel is seeking roles such as Cybersecurity Analyst, SOC Analyst, Incident Response Analyst, Data Privacy Analyst or Data Analyst. She prefers a standard morning schedule and would like to remain in the Baton Rouge or New Orleans area, though she is open to relocation for the right opportunity. She will be available for full-time work beginning August 17, 2026.
Advice to Future Students
Rachel encourages students interested in cybersecurity to push past imposter syndrome and pursue opportunities confidently. “You deserve to be here,” she says. “Keep learning, build on what you know and don’t underestimate the power of communication skills. Technical ability matters, but being able to work well with people is just as important.”
Learn more about TekStream’s Workforce Development/Student SOC program and how it equips students like Rachel for real-world cybersecurity roles.