从黑鹰队到白宫, alumna traces her journey back to campus

Before Katie (Morris) Slingerland flew Blackhawk helicopters, 在白宫工作之前, 早在她成为我的营长之前^st 营145^th Aviation Regiment at Fort Rucker — she was a Carson-Newman freshman who called Charleston, 南卡罗来纳, 首页.

她来到卡森-纽曼学院的第一年 英语专业的学生 还是女鹰篮球队的红衫新生. 她对……不感兴趣 大学的陆军后备军官训练队项目. With still getting adjusted to college life, 参加后备役军官训练军团 just wasn’t on her radar — at least not yet.

From playing in C-N’s annual mudball tourney to gathering with friends at FCA events, Katie’s time as an undergraduate is a period she remembers fondly. She quickly recalls her best C-N classroom moment occurring when she had to present her senior English project in front of class.

“I was so nervous, and I thought I was going to faint; however, Dr. (Jennifer) Hall smiled and kept me calm,” the 2004 graduate said. “I remember spending hours working on this project and agonizing over whether it was strong enough to pass. 最后, 轮到我发言了, 我记得站在前面, 一边摇晃一边做演讲. 这个项目我得了A+, but I remember the feeling of being elated my hard work had paid off,”她说。.  “Dr. 霍尔的鼓励真是一件幸事, and I was so happy to have completed one of my toughest assignments at C-N.” 

But it was a Jogging 101 course earlier in her college career that began setting the gears in motion for her journey. “It turned out it was the Army 参加后备役军官训练军团 physical fitness hour,凯蒂说。. “我喜欢它，他们邀请我每周三去他们的实验室. It was so much fun, and I truly enjoyed making lots of new friends. More importantly, it was a chance to be a part of an organization fighting for our nation. 9/11 was still fresh, and I knew I wanted to serve,”她说。. My roommate and I ended up getting scholarships, and our cadre encouraged us to fly. Two weeks after becoming a second lieutenant, I found myself in flight school. 上帝为我打开了一扇奇妙的门.”

从那时起，凯蒂的生活似乎过得很快. Her first duty station after flight school was in Seoul, South Korea. 凯蒂在美国陆军担任排长^nd 步兵师航空兵营. 时光飞逝，凯蒂的事业蒸蒸日上.

“我最后在白宫工作了三年, 一个是奥巴马总统的，两个是特朗普总统的,” said Katie of her time serving as presidential airlift operations coordinator. “It was pretty cool working at the White House[…]the job allowed me to travel to so many countries and see our amazing world.”

Following her tour at the White House, Katie moved to Fort Hood, Texas. 虽然, 她产生了很大的影响, 以及给上司留下的印象, ultimately selected for lieutenant colonel and entered battalion commander assessment. “I assessed favorably and was able to select the battalion I wanted to command,凯蒂说。, 现在谁的军衔是中校. “上帝是好的。, and we got our first choice here at Fort Rucker (The 首页 of Army Aviation), 在第1-145航空团. 我们每天都对陆军航空兵产生直接影响.”

在她的整个旅程中，凯蒂试图产生这种影响. 她指挥着一个大约2人的营,250名士兵, along with flight school and several advanced schools on Fort Rucker, she points to the lessons she learned while a Carson-Newman student.

“Carson-Newman taught me to continue to lean on the foundation of Jesus in all areas of my life,”她说。. “Academically, I felt prepared, and I loved the smaller class sizes. 教授们平易近人，平易近人. The encouragement, love and support really continued to influence my life in such a positive way.”

Katie says she’s not sure what her journey would have looked like had she not decided to make that trip from Charleston to campus as a freshman.

“我很可能不会参军, 不会成为一名飞行员吗, and I would not have had the life experience that shaped me who I am.  The Lord opened the door for me to join the Army 参加后备役军官训练军团 program at C-N, and I do not think I would have joined the program at any other school. 我不是加入了后备军官训练队吗, 我永远不会成为一名UH-60黑鹰飞行员, 遇到了我的好丈夫，有了我们的好儿子.  I believe the Lord opens doors for a reason, and I am so glad He allowed me to attend Carson-Newman.

“If you make the Lord the center of your life and give Him the glory, He will give you favor and bless you more than you can imagine!”