从黑鹰队到白宫，一位校友追溯了她的校园之旅

在凯蒂(莫里斯)斯林格兰驾驶黑鹰直升机之前, before she worked at the White House, and long before she became battalion commander for 1^st Battalion, 145^th 她是卡森-纽曼学院的新生，她打电话给查尔斯顿, South Carolina, home.

She arrived on Carson-Newman’s campus her first year, an English major and a redshirt freshman for the Lady Eagles basketball team. She had no interest in the University’s Army ROTC program. 由于她还在适应大学生活，后备军官训练队还没有进入她的视野——至少现在还没有.

从参加C-N的年度泥球锦标赛到在FCA的活动中与朋友聚会, 凯蒂对她的大学生活记忆犹新. 她很快回忆起她最好的C-N课堂时刻，那是她必须在全班面前展示她的高年级英语项目.

“I was so nervous, and I thought I was going to faint; however, Dr. 霍尔的微笑让我保持冷静，”这位2004年的毕业生说. “我记得我花了几个小时在这个项目上，为它是否足够强大而通过而苦恼. Finally, it was my turn to present, and I remember standing up front, shaking and delivering my presentation. I got an A+ on the project, 但我记得那种为自己的努力得到了回报而感到高兴的感觉,” she said.  “Dr. Hall’s encouragement was such a blessing, 我很高兴完成了我在C-N最难的任务之一.” 

但正是在她大学生涯的早期，一门慢跑101课程开始为她的旅程做好准备. “原来是陆军后备军官训练队的健身时间，”凯蒂说. “I loved it, and they invited me to their lab on Wednesdays. 这太有趣了，我真的很喜欢交很多新朋友. 更重要的是，这是一个为国家而战的组织的一部分. 9/11事件还历历在目，我知道我想为国效力。. 我的室友和我最后都拿到了奖学金，我们的干部鼓励我们坐飞机. 当上少尉两周后，我进入了飞行学校. God opened some amazing doors for me.”

From there life seemed to move fast for Katie. 她从飞行学校毕业后的第一个工作地点是在韩国首尔. Katie served as a platoon leader in the 2^nd Infantry Division’s Aviation Battalion. Time passed and Katie’s career progressed.

“I ended up working at the White House for three years, one under President Obama and two for President Trump,凯蒂谈到她担任总统空运行动协调员的时候说. “在白宫工作真是太酷了……这份工作让我可以去很多国家旅行，看到我们神奇的世界。.”

在白宫之行结束后，凯蒂搬到了德克萨斯州的胡德堡. While there, she made quite an impact, and impression on her superiors, 最终被选为中校并进入营长考核. “我评价得很好，并选择了我想指挥的营,” Katie said, who now holds the rank of lieutenant colonel. “God was good, 我们在拉克堡(陆军航空之家)找到了我们的首选, in the 1-145th Aviation Regiment. We get to have a direct impact on Army Aviation everyday.”

Throughout her journey, Katie sought to have that impact. As she commands a battalion of some 2,250 soldiers, 还有拉克堡的飞行学校和几所高级学校, 她提到了自己在卡森-纽曼学院学习时学到的经验.

“卡森-纽曼教我在生活的各个方面继续依靠耶稣的根基,” she said. “在学业上，我觉得自己准备好了，而且我喜欢小班授课. The professors were accessible and approachable. 鼓励、爱和支持真的继续以积极的方式影响着我的生活.”

凯蒂说，她不知道如果她在大一的时候没有决定从查尔斯顿到校园旅行，她的旅程会是什么样子.

“I most likely would not have joined the Army, would not have become a pilot, 我就不会有塑造我的人生经历.  上帝为我打开了一扇门，让我加入了C-N的陆军后备军官训练队, 我想我不会在其他学校参加这个项目. Had I not joined ROTC, I never would have become a UH-60 Black Hawk pilot, met my wonderful husband and had our amazing son.  我相信上帝为我敞开大门是有原因的，我很高兴他允许我进入卡森-纽曼.

“如果你把主当作你生命的中心，把荣耀归给他, 他必施恩给你，赐福给你，超乎你的想象!”