Former Mustang Kara Mathis (c/o ’17) is

Jennifer Shank – Mustangs Ahead

(LAKEWOOD RANCH, FL) – An LRHS alumna embarked on her dream job only six years after graduation.

Kara Mathis graduated from LRHS in 2017 and attended the University of South Florida (USF) for undergraduate and graduate school. Mathis finished her bachelor’s degree in criminology in 2021 and finished her Master of Science in cybercrime in 2022.

Mathis knew very early on that she wanted to major in criminology.

Mathis said, “I always had a strong passion and interest for true crime my whole life. Knowing that made my college years very enjoyable. When I decided to go for my Master’s, I pursued cybercrime because of the growing need for cybersecurity professionals.”

Mathis has a job at Deloitte, a company that provides consulting, tax, and advisory services to many well-known brands. At Deloitte, Mathis is a Cyber Solutions Analyst where she provides clients with help in developing cyber solutions for their business that will ensure protection of their data and digital assets.  

Mathis has much higher aspirations, however.

‘’My goal is to gain enough knowledge and experience to join the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation),” Mathis continued.

Mathis takes a lot of pride in being a young woman working in cybersecurity.

Mathis said, “There is a small number of women working in the field, and they all create a network of support around each other.”

The most challenging part about working at Deloitte has been keeping up with emerging technology upgrades and new hacking techniques.

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Mathis enjoys helping others and making connections with people, knowing her education and hours studying have finally paid off.

“During my time at LRHS, my teachers always told me that hard work will eventually pay off. This helped me work harder throughout my entire educational career,” Mathis continued.

Mathis advised underclassmen to find something they are passionate about and follow it until the end.