The Science of Cheerleading

The Jackson family didn’t send just one child to Indiana State.

They’ve sent two.

Although Kya Jackson initially followed in her sister’s footsteps when she came to college from their home in Indianapolis, she discovered that State has also been the best place to dig deeper into her two passions — science and cheerleading.

“When I got to Indiana State, I knew I wanted to cheer because it’s something I have been doing since the age of six, so I tried out for the team and got on. Now I cheer for both football and basketball, but the experience has also given me the opportunity to meet new people and get involved in activities like community service when games aren’t happening.”

When she is not cheering, Jackson is diving into a new major in cybercrime securities.

“I started out as a computer science major when I enrolled at Indiana State because I wanted to have a challenge being better at problem solving, but I decided that cybercrimes security would be a better fit,” Jackson said. “So much of my science experiences in high school were more on the forensic side, and it’s been a great change and better fit for me and my interests.”

Whether Jackson is in her foundational studies classes that are preparing her to “think outside of the box” or learning more about her major through computing and ethic classes, she knows State is readying her inside and outside of the classroom to take on the future workforce.

“The cybercrime security major is not only a cutting-edge field to get in to, but I think I would like to someday start a career in security at a small business and work my way up the ladder. Maybe I’ll even work my way up to a position in the FBI one day.”