Service to others and duty to the country have always been priorities for BC Class of 2015 graduate Katie Bender. Katie is currently attending the University of South Carolina and will graduate in December with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. She also joined the United States Army in 2014 using the Split Option program, which allowed her to attend basic training between her junior and senior years at BCCHS. After graduation, she went on to continue her Army training.
Katie currently has two Military Specialties (MOS) 12R – Interior Electrician, and 12T – Technical Engineer. She holds the rank of Sergeant and has seven years of service in with an upcoming re-enlistment.
Katie’s recent deployment was to Africa, where she was mostly stationed at an outpost as part of an Engineer Platoon. She worked as the outpost’s surveyor for roughly 20 permanent and semi-permanent structures. She said that their main focus was to increase standoff distance from the enemy forces to save US soldiers lives. She was able to work with the locals and other branches in order to provide safe and accurate foundation for their projects. Katie found it thrilling to work on erecting a steel structure that involved scaling beams roughly 70 feet in the air!
She credits much of her development to her time at Bishop Carroll. She said, “My coaches and teachers at Bishop Carroll instilled an outstanding work ethic which is crucial in military operations as days often run into nights. It is important for us to understand that mission comes first and sometimes you have to dig deep to continue to work on even the smallest tasks.” Katie adds that BC also established a moral foundation in her that she uses to guide her soldiers through missions and life. “BC did an excellent job of teaching me how to be understanding of others and how to use diversity as a strength.”
While Katie thoroughly enjoyed her time at BC, her favorite classes were math classes with Miss Wetzel (Beyer), who inspired her to enter the Engineering field. She also enjoyed making pens with Mr. Graffte, which taught her creativity and ingenuity. Katie adds that Politics class with Mr. Nagy taught her how to make informed choices and to learn about our government.
When asked if she had any advice for students considering following her path, she said, “My advice for any teenager wanting to look into the service is to consider your options! The military offers many ways to serve. There are numerous jobs in the military that will give you civilian experience and not every job is infantry. There are cooks, engineers, supply personnel, and transportation personnel, just to name a few. Also, consider doing ROTC if you plan on continuing your education after high school. It is a great way to work on your military skills while also working towards your degree. I also highly recommend the Split Option program for those who are 17 and know that they want to join the Army. It has allowed me to get a head start on my Army career and has given me incredible opportunities. It is a great opportunity to explore the world and get paid for it at the same time.”
Katie is open and willing to talk to any BC student about the Army and service. Any student can see Mr. Nagy to get in touch with Katie. We thank Katie for her service and wish her well on her path!
Any alumni who have served in any branch of the military and have not sent their information in to the alumni office are encouraged to do so by contacting Mrs. Annalisa McCann at [email protected].