UNO Grad Goes From Intern to Cybersecurity Analyst at Nelnet

Hafso Ibrahim spent her senior year hunting for digital threats, tracking dark web conversations, and building profiles of cyber attackers. Now the University of Nebraska Omaha graduate has turned those skills into her dream job.

Ibrahim graduated in May with a cybersecurity degree after completing three years of coursework instead of four. She squeezed in internships with UNO's Security Operations Center, the National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology, and Education Center, and Nelnet, the Lincoln-based financial services company that just hired her full time.

Born in Somalia and raised in Kenya, Ibrahim moved to Omaha at age 10 speaking Somali, Amharic, and Swahili. A computer science class at Burke High School sparked her interest in technology, but she wanted something more dynamic than coding.

Cybersecurity offered exactly that. "You have to learn how attackers are using new tools that are coming out, how they're changing up their tactics," she said. "They get very creative at moving around security controls so they don't get caught."

Her breakthrough came through an innovative partnership between NCITE and Nelnet. Ibrahim worked from NCITE's offices, applying research insights to real-world threats facing the company. When threats against executives spiked after the 2024 United Healthcare CEO assassination, she monitored dark web chatter and social media for potential attacks.

The team evaluated nearly a hundred concerning social media posts during the Iran conflict and a late April data breach. Ibrahim learned threat hunting, identifying attacker signatures and proactively searching security logs for traces of intrusion.

"This isn't reactive anymore," said Timothy Batts, her Nelnet supervisor and the company's cybersecurity manager. "We treat geopolitical and industry-wide events as predictable triggers for threat activity."

The Ripple Effect

The partnership demonstrates how universities and companies can work together to build tomorrow's workforce today. Ibrahim got hands-on experience with cutting-edge cybersecurity challenges while still earning her degree. Nelnet gained research depth and an external perspective they couldn't replicate in-house.

"Part of UNO's metropolitan mission is to provide real-world experiences to students and in support of local industry," said Matt Allen, NCITE's director of operations and research services. "I think this program is a great example of how we can serve that mission."

As a student intern, Ibrahim executed threat hunts based on intelligence from senior analysts. In her new role starting this summer, she'll flip to the other side, researching adversaries and turning findings into actionable intelligence for response teams.

Ibrahim's journey proves that the path from classroom to career doesn't have to wait until after graduation.