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Lt. Col. Catherine Herrera, '07, returned to the University of North Georgia (Â鶹ÊÓƵ) for her recent lieutenant colonel promotion ceremony.

Herrera serves as chief of the Human Factors section at the U.S. Army Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE) School at Fort Novosel, Alabama. She is grateful for the chance to put her bachelor's degree in psychology from Â鶹ÊÓƵ to use daily. Her time as a student in the Â鶹ÊÓƵ Department of Psychological Science inspired her to pursue her doctorate and enter the Army as a psychologist.

"It's a really neat mission we do here. We are preparing these soldiers for the possibility of their worst day," Herrera said. "We want to set them up with the skills they need to survive and return home with honor."

She said the mentorship from instructors and encouragement from fellow cadets, including her friend Kai Oboho, were instrumental parts of her time in the Corps of Cadets.

Herrera has served on deployments in Afghanistan and Africa and has worked within a wide range of units.

She encourages others to explore where a career in the Army could take them.

"You have such a broad variety of things you can do as a psychologist in the Army," Herrera said.

Fellow alumnus retired Col. Dan Crawford presided over Herrera's promotion ceremony. He is her brother-in-law and has also been a great mentor for her along the way.