What started as a three-year plan to pay back her student loan debt has blossomed into a 20 year Army career where Lt. Col. Lasherdo Harris has succeeded professionally and academically.
Harris, the military assistant to the commanding general at United States Army Combined Arms Center, has earned two master’s degrees and a doctorate while managing her daily responsibilities as an active-duty soldier.
Born in Lawton, Oklahoma, but raised in Killeen, Texas, Harris always had a strong focus toward education.
“Education was a way for me to ensure I had opportunities on the table,” said Harris. “Through education, a person can make sure they always have someplace to land and better themselves along the way.”
Following high school, Harris attended Baylor University in Waco, Texas, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology. The feeling of accomplishment was short lived when she had to make her first student loan payment. Several members of her church congregation were Army Veterans and were a significant part of what Harris refers to as her “nontraditional family.” She discovered that the Army offered student loan repayment for enlisting in specific jobs or Military Occupational Specialties.
With a goal of serving three years to pay off her student loan, Harris enlisted in the Army in 2004 as a chemical operations specialist. Due to her college degree, she entered with the rank of specialist.
As a chemical operations specialist, Harris was responsible for preparing and protecting Army assets in the defense of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) weapons. A job not for the faint of heart that carries high risk.
“Everything we do in the Army is dangerous in a sense,” laughed Harris when asked about the dangers of being a chemical operations specialist.
It wasn’t long before Harris realized that she really enjoyed the Army and began thinking of making it a career.
“I really liked the team dynamic of the Army, and I got to travel,” said Harris. “As a noncommissioned officer I got the opportunity to lead soldiers and decided to reenlist.”
In 2008, Harris applied for Officer Candidate School and was accepted. She was commissioned in 2009, which was a natural progression for someone who never settles for the status quo.
“[Noncommissioned officers] lay the groundwork, but the officers are the ones at the table making most of the decisions with input from NCOs,” said Harris. “The experience of seeing the decision-making progress from both perspectives has helped me throughout my career.”
For many soldiers, earning a degree and becoming a commissioned officer would be enough, but not Harris. She continued to grow as a person through education and earned two master’s degrees – one in human resource management from Webster University and an another in business administration from University of the Southwest - New Mexico. In 2024, Harris would earn a doctorate in business administration with a focus on employee engagement from Walden University to add to her wall of diplomas.
“I didn’t want three master’s degrees,” said Harris with a smile, “but I decided to take the next step and be prepared for whatever the future may bring.”
It’s the drive to always better herself and be prepared for the future that has driven Harris throughout her career.
“Having worked with Lt. Col. Harris for the past two years, her drive to improve herself, consistently, has had a positively infectious impact on everyone around her,” said Lt. Col. Joshua Mendoza, executive officer to the CAC commanding general. “She is a model of inspiration and aspiration for everyone she encounters.”
Harris is optimistic about how much longer she will stay in the Army, but she has prepared herself to succeed in life and already has a plan.
“After the Army, I want to be in the community and reach out to the youth to help them find their purpose and get after it,” said Harris.
Wherever that community is, the youth there had better be prepared to learn as much as they can from such an inspirational soldier, woman, and leader.
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