As of July 2022, Cato is currently attending Columbia University, earning a masters in Music and Music Education.

The masters program that she’s attending is a hybrid program, with remote and in person portions. This means Cato will still be in San Diego, CA for most of the year, working full time while taking some of her Columbia courses remotely.

Here’s some information about Columbia University:

“Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King’s College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhattan, Columbia is the oldest institution of higher education in New York and the fifth-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and is considered one of the most prestigious schools in the world. It is one of nine colonial colleges founded prior to the Declaration of Independence, seven of which belong to the Ivy League. Columbia is ranked among the top universities in the world.” (credit: Wikipedia)

In addition to working as studio manager for the school recording studio after graduation, Cato graduated with honors from Connecticut College.  She has degrees in Music and Technology, Economics, and Computer Arts and Technology (CAT).  The Music and Technology major is one of the largest majors at the school, with a wide variety of courses, ranging from a full lineup of composition courses, to musical acoustics and music history.  The Computer Arts and Technology certificate is an intense and selective program (Cato was 1 of 4 in her graduating class) that culminates in a symposium that attracts visitors from all over the world.

CT College is a competitive liberal arts school located in New London, CT.  It was founded in 1911 in response to Wesleyan University closing its doors to women in 1909.  With only 32% of students admitted and a student faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it is a top producer of Fulbright scholars.

“According to The Princeton Review 2005 and Campus Compact, Connecticut College is one of the nation’s best colleges for fostering social responsibility and public service. As illustrated by a January 2011 ranking, Connecticut College is typically among the 25 top small colleges in terms of the number of graduates who serve in the Peace Corps.” (credit: Wikipedia)

To visit CT College’s website, click here.

For more information about her adult continuing ed endeavors, visit her resume page.

Shortly before Covid hit, Cato also completed the Electronics Technician degree at the San Diego Community College District. This included the Electronics Technician I and Electronics Technician II certificate degrees. The program takes about a year to complete, with regular attendance on weekday evenings.

Cato completed this program so that she could have a better understanding of audio equipment, and be more knowledgable when attempting to repair, modify, or build audio gear.