Charity Lawson is “The Bachelorette.”

ABC announced the Auburn University graduate as the lead of the next season, following her departure as a contestant on “The Bachelor,” on their Instagram account Tuesday night.

“I’m the Bachelorette!” Charity says in the Instagram video. “Like, I can’t even say that without crying, screaming, but I am the next Bachelorette.”

The 26-year-old child and family therapist from Columbus, Ga., holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from AU and currently lives in Charlotte, N.C. Lawson will lead season 20 of the spinoff franchise, following co-Bachelorettes Rachel Recchia and Gabby Windey.

Zach Shallcross, the current lead on season 27 of “The Bachelor,” sent Lawson home during this week’s hometown dates. But longtime fans of the journey know that doesn’t always mark the end of her or anyone’s journey. In fact, it could just be getting started with franchise spinoffs like “The Bachelorette,” “Bachelor in Paradise” and more — and sure enough, we have our next “Bachelorette” with ties to Alabama.

READ: 15 times Alabama took over ‘The Bachelor’ and ‘The Bachelorette’

Lawson teased her future in the franchise shortly after her final episode as a contestant on “The Bachelor,” ending a new Instagram post with, “One thing I know is true: the best is yet to come!”

“Going into this journey, I had no idea what I was walking into. But wow, was it an experience of a lifetime,” Lawson’s IG caption said. “I was challenged and pushed to a level of vulnerability that I didn’t know was possible for myself. Through the highs and lows, I grew as a person through it all and was able to discover depths of myself, and that is the true victory.”

She shouted out the friends she made during the season and thanked Shallcross for allowing her to be part of his journey. “You provided a constant safe space showing grace, compassion, and always allowed me to share parts of myself that were hidden,” she wrote. “I wish you nothing but the best as your journey continues!”

Here is what ABC shared about Lawson in her official “Bachelor” contestant bio:

“It’s easy to see what makes Charity such a great catch! With a smile that lights up the room, a great career and a sweet personality to match, Charity is the total package! The Georgia beauty takes her name as a call to love and care for people and has built her life on that purpose. Charity is a mental health therapist and is extremely passionate about helping people live their best lives. Now, she is ready to receive the love she gives to so many others! Charity hopes her future husband is honest, loyal and shares similar morals. She says she is really excited to meet Zach and thinks the two of them could be a perfect match on paper. Time will tell if they’re also a perfect match in person!”

The ABC bio also shared three “fun facts” about Lawson:

• Charity’s all-time favorite movie is “The Notebook.”
• Charity wants to move to Walt Disney World one day.
• Charity throws a mean axe.

Lawson and Shallcross made an early connection on ABC’s popular reality dating series, as she received a rose during the season premiere. “I am so ready for love,” she said during the first episode. “I want to find my partner. I want to be engaged. I want to start a life with that person. I want someone who treats me good. And definitely someone who can make me laugh.

“I am very eager to get married. I’m confident in what it is that I want, and I am excited for what’s to come.”

Lawson was one of the first few women to appear from the limo and meet Shallcross outside the mansion, and you could hear that Southern accent immediately. “I’m a little nervous, I’m not gonna lie, but I feel a little bit better now that I’m finally here,” she said to the new Bachelor. “My name is Charity and that also means ‘love,’ and I figured what better place to find love than at the Bachelor mansion? And I could not be more excited that it’s you who is the Bachelor, and I hope we get to chat a little more inside.”

She even stole a little time (and a kiss) with Shallcross during the premiere, when she revealed her professional and educational background, something she has in common with his mother, whom he said is a special education teacher. “It’s very difficult,” he said about the field. “There’s only a certain type of person that can do it and keep a smile on their face and treat them great. And you’re like that. I see that in you. You seem like an incredible, awesome woman, and you are absolutely stunning.”

The full season 27 trailer showed Lawson factoring prominently in the remainder of the series, but we sought no spoilers, nor will we upon her exit.

After visiting her hometown in Columbus, Ga., and meeting her family, the time came for the rose ceremony. Upon handing out the first two stems to Ariel and Gabi, it came down to Lawson and Kaity. Shallcross took a minute, glanced back and forth between the woman and ultimately selected Gabi.

Ahead of the Jan. 23 premiere, Lawson let the cat out of the bag on Instagram, posting her official show photo and writing, “my best kept secret is out … if you didn’t know, well now you do.” Last week, she posted again, this time sharing a photo of her receiving a rose during the premiere. She wrote, “and so it begins…” with a rose emoji.

After receiving her master’s degree on the Plains, Lawson posted a graduate portrait on Instagram and wrote, “The past 6 years at Auburn, has been an experience of a lifetime, one that I don’t take for granted. I’ve been challenged, pushed and molded into the woman I am today. Looking back on my journey, I’ve met the most incredible people, professors, created the BEST memories, but most importantly, unconsciously, I walked right into my calling.”

She finished with a graduate degree in clinical mental health counseling. “The joy that comes with obtaining a degree the second time around is so much sweeter when you gain confirmation that it is exactly one of the things God has called you to do,” she wrote. “The last two years has challenged me every single day in the areas of personal growth, but also in my professional identity as a therapist. I get the great opportunity as a therapist to love people as Jesus loved. This field of work is so beautiful, and I’m passionate about always advocating for mental health in today’s society.

And yes, she also dropped a “War Eagle!” Will she get that chance on the dating show?

From villainous contestants to lovable leads, Alabama personalities have dominated certain seasons of the long-running reality show, giving the state some well-earned airtime that keeps viewers coming back for more. We ran through Alabama’s biggest connections to “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette,” which turned 20 last year.

Lawson marks the first Auburn connection since Madison Prewett, a foster parent recruiter and AU graduate (and oldest daughter of Auburn’s director of basketball operations, Chad Prewett), who appeared during season 24 with Bachelor Peter Weber. She’s the first Alabama-connected lead in the franchise since Tuscaloosa’s Hannah Brown starred in season 15 of “The Bachelorette.” Brown first appeared as a contestant during Colton Underwood’s season as Bachelor. The former Miss Alabama USA, went home during week seven, officially finishing seventh in her bid for Bachelor Colton Underwood’s heart. Brown proved a fan favorite, bringing needed levity to the dating (and a rivalry with fellow pageant queen Caelynn) series and eventually influencing ABC producers to keep her on as a face of the franchise.

Brown ultimately chose Jed Wyatt, the country singer from Nashville, but the engagement ended abruptly after it emerged that he had been in a relationship with another woman prior to and during his stint on the show. Other contestants from Brown’s season included Tyler Cameron, Luke Parker, Mike Johnson, John Paul Jones and future “Bachelor” lead Peter Weber.