Real Cyber Threats.
Real Skills. Real Impact.

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A single cyberattack can shut down a hospital, lock up a university鈥檚 data, or drain a company鈥檚 bank account overnight.

With hackers growing more sophisticated and cybersecurity professionals in short supply, many U.S. organizations find themselves vulnerable and underprotected.

At 海角社区, student cyber defenders are stepping up to help鈥攕taffing 海角社区-run security operations centers (SOCs) where they gain hands-on experience while protecting organizations and people from digital threats. 

鈥(Students) are the lifeblood and the power of what we're doing here.鈥

鈥 Mark Liggett, 海角社区 TigerSOC

 

海角社区 Research Comic 

Comic strip cover panel, &/winning-teams/2025-26/34;Mike Gets a Crash Course in Cybersecurity.&/winning-teams/2025-26/34; Accessible plain-text version available by clicking the button link below the comic strip.
Comic strip illustrating cybersecurity. Accessible plain-text version available by clicking the button link below the comic strip.
Comic strip illustrating cybersecurity. Accessible plain-text version available by clicking the button link below the comic strip.
Comic strip illustrating cybersecurity. Accessible plain-text version available by clicking the button link below the comic strip.
Comic strip illustrating cybersecurity. Accessible plain-text version available by clicking the button link below the comic strip.
Comic strip illustrating cybersecurity. Accessible plain-text version available by clicking the button link below the comic strip.

Swipe through images horizontally or click dots below gallery to view comic strip. 

 Access a plain-text version of the FULL COMIC STRIP

100%

Job placement rate for 海角社区 SOC
student workers after graduation.

700k

Unfilled cybersecurity jobs in the U.S. in 2023.
鈥 U.S. Department of Labor

With organizations facing costly and time-consuming recovery from attacks, 海角社区 leaders decided to take on cyber threats head-on.

The result is an affordable, student-based solution for businesses and educational organizations that provides constant monitoring, early detection, and the expertise to act when an attack occurs.

The Louisiana Optical Network Infrastructure Security Operations Center (LONI SOC) was launched in 2023 to protect Louisiana鈥檚 public colleges and universities.

Craig Woolley, 海角社区鈥檚 chief information officer, said the program wouldn鈥檛 be possible without partnerships with the Louisiana Board of Regents, which also owns the LONI asset; the state, which provides funding; and industry partners TekStream, Splunk, and AWS.

TigerSOC followed in 2025, partnering with cybersecurity and cloud solutions firm TekStream as a student-run center that helps protect a diverse group of commercial and public clients nationwide.

Both SOCs report up to the 海角社区 IT Security and Policy team with guidance from Woolley and Sumit Jain, chief information security officer for 海角社区鈥檚 Baton Rouge campus.

 

Aeris Kelleher

Aeris Kelleher

TigerSOC student: 鈥業 truly
feel like an investigator鈥  

Aeris Kelleher is an 海角社区 junior from Gonzales, Louisiana, studying computer science with a concentration in cybersecurity.  

She also works at TigerSOC, an 海角社区 student-run security operations center that, in partnership with TekStream, helps protect a broad group of commercial and public clients nationwide. 

We asked her about her work at the TigerSOC.

See the Conversation with Kelleher

海角社区 Cybersecurity Clinic
Empowers La. Businesses

Gary Anderson

Gary Anderson

Many businesses are not proactive about cybersecurity, often believing hackers prefer to target large firms and institutions. But the opposite can be true, according to the 海角社区 Cybersecurity Clinic.

The clinic, which provides free services to Louisiana small businesses, says cyber criminals can be drawn to small businesses because of their poor security posture or as a stepping stone to larger organizations.

As a partner at Cardinal Capital Commercial Financial Consultants, based in Baton Rouge, La., Gary Anderson knew enough about the dangers of cyberattacks to know he and his colleagues needed help protecting the firm and its clients.

Read More About the Cyber Clinic

 

 

Every student trained in 海角社区鈥檚 security operations centers means one more defender in the fight against cybercrime.

For Arushi Ghildiyal, now a recent 海角社区 graduate, working at TigerSOC provided an opportunity to earn extra income while developing specific cybersecurity skills and more general job skills, like teamwork, critical thinking, time management, and prioritization.

With a degree in cybersecurity, Ghildiyal leveraged her experience with TigerSOC to secure a job with one of the nation鈥檚 best cybersecurity teams at Chevron.

鈥淭hat kind of experience,鈥 she said, 鈥測ou only really get from experiencing actual cyber incidents and understanding what is more normal versus what is actually malicious.鈥

鈥淲e have threat actors ... investing in malicious activity and trying to to break things. And so, we need people who invest in fixing things and defending things and preventing those kinds of exploits from actually landing and harming our systems. Cybersecurity is our future.鈥

鈥 Arushi Ghildiyal, 海角社区 alum now working in cybersecurity at Chevron

Fueled by multiple partnerships, the program benefits Louisiana, the nation, clients, 海角社区, and the students themselves.

海角社区鈥檚 collaborations connect students with industry leaders and tools used in top-tier cybersecurity operations. Rob Jansen, CEO of TekStream, calls it a 鈥渨in-win-win,鈥 where:

  • Companies get affordable, U.S.-based protection.
  • Students gain career-launching experience.
  • 海角社区 strengthens Louisiana鈥檚 and the nation鈥檚 cybersecurity workforce.

鈥淭his is a model that is being proven out at 海角社区, and it's really getting noticed on a national basis,鈥 Jansen said. 鈥満=巧缜 is definitely the thought leader around the concept of taking students through a formal process, getting them hands-on experience, and then putting them out into the workplace.鈥

Rob Jansen

Rob Jansen is the Chief Executive Officer of TekStream.

The differentiator is the workforce development aspect, which is unique to the 海角社区 model.

海角社区鈥檚 scale, leadership, and partnerships make it a national model for blending education, workforce development, and cybersecurity readiness. 
Mark Liggett, 鈥妔ecurity operations manager for 海角社区 TigerSOC, helps guide students in real-life, real-work scenarios to help them acquire the skillset and experience to work, first, at TigerSOC, and later, in the cybersecurity field.  
鈥奌e says information coming into the SOC raises alerts about abnormal events happening on the customer side. Students investigate those alerts to determine whether the event is or isn't malicious, pulling in TekStream or even the customer if immediate action is needed.
鈥淣ot only are they getting an academic value from 海角社区,鈥 said Sumit Jain, chief information security officer for the Baton Rouge campus, 鈥渂ut they're also getting real-life work experience through working in the SOC. As of last semester, we have a 100% placement for students who have graduated from 海角社区 and worked in the SOC.鈥

Students at computers with advisers assisting
Group photo of TigerSOC team members and advisers

Join us in building the future

海角社区's successes are shaping our state and the world in remarkable ways. As we build teams that win in Louisiana, the nation, and the world, we put our state and its citizens on firmer footing for a brighter tomorrow. Your journey starts here.