Barber is from
Lake Forest, Illinois and attended
Lake Forest High School. She was a mechanical engineering major at the United States Naval Academy and a member of the Academy's track team, lettering three years and earning the academy's record for outdoor 4 x 100 meter relay. Her father also attended the Naval Academy and graduated in 1991. She also served as co-president of the academy's chapter of
Fellowship of Christian Athletes, as secretary of the
National Society of Black Engineers, and was a member of the academy's gospel choir and the Midshipman Black Studies Club. Barber graduated from the academy and received a commission in the
U.S. Marine Corps as a second lieutenant. In 2020, Barber was chosen to serve as the spring 2021 Naval Academy's Brigade Commander making her the first African American woman to be selected for this role. == References ==