{"id":29369,"date":"2021-02-24T10:00:30","date_gmt":"2021-02-24T16:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/?p=29369"},"modified":"2021-02-24T09:18:54","modified_gmt":"2021-02-24T15:18:54","slug":"austin-peay-state-university-has-been-part-of-rotc-cadets-life-from-iraq-deployment-to-green-to-gold","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/2021\/02\/24\/austin-peay-state-university-has-been-part-of-rotc-cadets-life-from-iraq-deployment-to-green-to-gold\/","title":{"rendered":"Austin Peay State University has been part of ROTC cadet\u2019s life from Iraq Deployment to Green to Gold"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AustinClarksville, TN<\/strong> – Austin Peay State University (APSU) has been a part of Katherine Alba\u2019s life for several years, including during her 2016 deployment to Iraq.<\/p>\n

\"Katherine<\/a>

Katherine Alba peers through a window at the business trading center on the campus of Austin Peay State University. (APSU)<\/p><\/div>\n

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\u201cWhen I was deployed, it was when I first started taking a few classes with the school,\u201d she said during a recent interview. \u201cIt was an interesting time to do it online, but the school made it very easy for me to be able take classes remotely.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alba \u2013 who recently won the CSM (R) Sidney Brown Scholarship and will graduate in May with a degree in business management \u2013 was serving in Iraq in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d go to work in the morning, do all that I would do, then at the end of the day, I\u2019d go back to my room around 1800 (6:00pm), and that\u2019s when I would do my homework,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Developing as a leader<\/h3>\n

When Alba returned to Clarksville in December of that year, she immediately started APSU classes during \u201cWinter Term,\u201d a four-week online term between the fall and spring semesters. For the next few years, she continued juggling online classes at Austin Peay and her Army career.<\/p>\n

That ended in 2019 when the Army accepted her into the Green to Gold program, a two-year program that provides eligible active-duty enlisted soldiers a chance to complete a bachelor\u2019s or graduate degree and become commissioned as a U.S. Army officer.<\/p>\n

Alba already has her eyes on the future.<\/p>\n

\u201cBoth the ROTC program and the school I feel like they both have really developed me as a leader,\u201d she said. \u201cI feel very prepared to take on whatever I need to do next. Whenever my next duty position is going to be or wherever I go, I feel completely prepared that I’m going to be able to do well and excel wherever I go.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alba also hopes to use her degree to someday work in the field of human resources.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am passionate about helping others and making an organization the best it can possibly be,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Developing connections, lifelong friendships<\/h3>\n
\"Katherine<\/a>

Katherine Alba inside the College of Business at Austin Peay State University. (APSU)<\/p><\/div>\n

Alba, originally from Reading, Pennsylvania, had several reasons for coming to Austin Peay State University.<\/p>\n

\u201cI chose to attend this University because of the amazing reputation the school and the APSU ROTC program has,\u201d she said. \u201cBefore I started here, I constantly heard great things about the school from students, alumni and staff.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The CSM (R) Sidney Brown Scholarship helps Alba in multiple ways. Not only does it help make her senior year feel more secure, but it also allows her to save her G.I. benefits for her children.<\/p>\n

She also appreciates winning the scholarship because of her admiration for Brown \u2013 a Vietnam veteran who helped pave the way for a generation of elite African American soldiers. Brown deployed with the 101st Airborne Division in 1957 to Arkansas to help desegregate Little Rock Central High School .<\/p>\n

He graduated in 1985 and went on to serve on the Montgomery County Commission. Brown died in 2020.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt means a lot to me because he played such a big part in the community here and has such a big part in history itself,\u201d Alba said. \u201cI just really want his family to know that the foundation and the scholarship is really making a difference for me in my life and for my family.\u201d<\/p>\n

As an undergraduate, Alba has been an accomplished cadet within the ROTC program and a member of the APSU Chapter of the National Society of Leadership and Success.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring my time at APSU, I have made connections with so many wonderful people,\u201d she said. \u201cI have made lifelong friendships and also met many mentors who I regularly seek guidance from. These people have all made my experience here one to remember.\u201d<\/p>\n

To learn more<\/h3>\n