LA Scholarship Recipient Katee Woodward

Mar 4, 2026

By Cindy Baugher

Katee Woodward, recipient of the Louisiana Division scholarship from the Police Benevolent Foundation, is abundantly clear when reflecting on her gratitude and good fortune. “Anything and everything I have been blessed with in life is by the grace of God. I can only give thanks to Him for all my blessings like this in my life. He already has a plan for me, and He knows what is best for me and my future.”

Chris Skinner (r), presents the scholarship check to Katee Woodward, along with her father, Robby Woodward

Katee is quick to give the credit to her parents for her solid upbringing and for “showing her God’s love every day.” Katee’s father, Robby Woodward is a Louisiana State Trooper and her mother, Sandy Woodward, is a secretary at the school from which Katee graduated in 2025, Ouachita Christian School. Located in Katee’s hometown of Monroe, Louisiana, both the school and her hometown hold a special place in her heart.

She explains, “I have loved growing up in North Louisiana... because it is where my mom and my grandparents were raised. I got to grow up having my grandparents less than 30 minutes down the road. I grew up in the same school as my mom and her sisters and have gone to church with people who grew up with my mom. Growing up here has made me never want to live anywhere else because it is home.”

Katee is remarkably close to her family and even chose her college, in part, because her sister goes there. She said, “I am going to college at Harding University in Searcy, AR. I picked this school because my sister goes there and I have been going to church and basketball camp there since middle school, making me slowly fall in love with it.” The Christ-centered education available at Harding appealed to her as well.

Katee & her father after her last home basketball game.

At Harding, Katee will be majoring in exercise science. She hopes selecting this major will enable her to find a career that combines her love of sports and helping people. She pictures herself eventually collaborating with athletes as an athletic trainer.

Herself an athlete, Katee played basketball throughout middle and high school and earned district and parish awards along with a state basketball award. She was also a member of Fellowship of Christian Athletes, National Honor Society, Art Club, Impact Club, and Foreign Language Club, holding leadership roles in several of these. Academically, Katee challenged herself by taking honors level, AP, and dual enrollment classes throughout high school. By graduation, Katee was sixth in her class with a 5.27 GPA.

Katee feels grateful to be the recipient of the LAPBA Division scholarship from the PBF. She calls it a blessing to have people willing to help students get a college education. Her father Robby Woodward notes that through his membership in PBA, he “experienced a connection throughout the region to help and assist my fellow law enforcement officers but especially their families. My older daughter was blessed with a scholarship as well and it was very beneficial to her beginning her collegiate career.” It was his PBA membership that qualified Katee and her sister to apply for a scholarship through PBF. He encourages fellow officers “to join forthwith!”

Robby & Katee at Homecoming football game with her as 1st maid

Katee’s desire to help people by becoming an athletic trainer is not unlike her father’s feeling about serving the citizens of Louisiana through law enforcement for the past 29 years. When asked what led him to be an officer and what he enjoys most about the job, he replied, “The strong undeniable desire and determination to serve, give, love, and protect. Constantly striving to help preserve lives & property while working to improve the quality of life for all within the State of Louisiana alongside all fellow servants.”

With her father serving as a trooper, Katee points out that his profession has given her a unique perspective in how she views first responders. “I see firsthand the sacrifices that they go through,” she said. “His willingness and aspiration to make a difference in the state’s safety shows me just how hard he works and pushes me to work just as hard in any profession I take.”

Katee’s parents are deservedly proud of her and believe her choice to be an athletic trainer aligns well with her own desire to serve and help others. As she moves on to the next phase of her academic journey, her father remarked, “Katee’s involvement in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) and in Southeast Leadership Training for Christ (SELTC) has made her comfortable leading, guiding and in her own fellowship that I am confident this scholarship will be used wisely by her in achieving her goals at Harding University.”

Katee and her dad at her high school graduation

When it is time to decompress, Katee might be found drawing, cooking, or watching TV and spending time with any dog. She admits she has an unusual trait when it comes to her food preferences: odd combinations. “Broccoli in ketchup, pickles in cheese dip, and,” she added, “jalapenos on just about anything and everything.”

As she steps into this next phase of her life at Harding, Katee remains grounded by her family and her faith. She names her brother, the oldest of the four children in her family, as the greatest influence in her life. “He truly shows what a Christ-led life looks like, and I aspire to have the love and compassion that he shows to everyone.”

Katee also shared that her favorite, and only, leader is God. “He is the true source of all my decisions and everything I do. I strive to do everything in His glory. He sent his son to die a gruesome death on the cross for our sins, it is my duty to live my life every day for him.”