Capt. Kristen Rollerson Cody '13 – Inspired Leadership
Capt. Kristen Rollerson Cody ’13 serves our country with pride and honor, and travels the world, helping others in need. This foundation of service and honor was developed in large part through her time at Sacred Heart Academy.
Kristen’s parents were both enlisted in the Army and always drove home the message to get a good education and go to college. Kristen attended public schools in her elementary and middle years, but when she was in 7th grade, her mother learned about the King Scholars Program at Sacred Heart.
Kristen became a King Scholar and entered SHA with great excitement. “I loved it,” she says. “I always think about how every day, Dr. McAuliffe would say we were strong women of great faith. To this day, I think of that because people still say in this world that women don't belong in these spaces. That phrase plays in my mind, and I know I belong here. I know I have worth.”
Kristen was a SHA Ambassador and enjoyed service projects and retreats. She was a helper and knew that’s what her future entailed. She was fascinated by the law as a young student and along with Nick King’s guidance, she decided to pursue a law degree. “I knew that I liked to read. I knew I loved to talk. I knew I loved to write. It was the trifecta for becoming an attorney,” she laughs.
Kristen attended UofL for her undergraduate degree in Sports Administration and Spanish and was a Ladybird for the Cardinal teams. She then moved on to the University of Cincinnati for law school. Along the way, she also had a spin as a Cincinnati Bengals cheerleader. As she graduated and began working in law, she was touched by a case she handled and was later inspired to become a foster mother to a child in need. Kristen spent three years with Frost, Brown, and Todd in Louisville and more with firms in the Cincinnati area.
She knew though, that she didn’t want to remain in a law firm setting her entire career. Her love of travel and respect for the military led her to an appointment in the U.S. Army’s JAG (Judge Advocate General) division. “I felt called to do more,” she explains, “And I thought, with JAG, I could practice law, see the world, and help others.”
She was commissioned as an officer and has reached the rank of Captain. Kristen proudly serves with the Army Reserve’s 11th Combat Aviation Brigade, and she is based at Fort Carson in Colorado, serving primarily as a JAG labor lawyer. “I don’t like being chained to a desk, so working on behalf of the military allows me to travel, see the world, meet people from all walks of life, and make a true difference,” Kristen says.
Even with her hectic work and travel schedule, Kristen stays involved with SHA when she can. She’s helped lead senior retreats and attends the Scholarship Brunch when she’s in Louisville. “It’s a natural instinct to want to give back to something that's given so much to me,” she says, adding, “I really do care about the students that are there. I want to tell them to take notes, take it all in, help where you can. I want to help lead the next generation of future leaders and let them know how important it is to give back. Sacred Heart is always number one in my life.”
“Because of Sacred Heart, I know I belong,” Kristen sums up. “Somebody believes in me enough to make me be in the seat I choose. I'm going to take up this seat. And I'm going to reach back and bring somebody else if I can to sit beside me.”