Geraldine Carroll didn’t have a lot of time to socialize outside of church, her family and school responsibilities when she was young, but she is grateful for her time at Galveston College and the skills and education the college provided her to begin a career in nursing, which helped improve her quality of life, and that of her family.

“I was going to school, going to work, and raising kids, so there wasn’t any time left for social time,” said Carroll. “The community college was a stepping stone for me as to what I wanted to achieve in my life and work.”

Carroll resides in Texas City, which is where she raised her family. After earning an associate degree in Nursing from Galveston College, she worked for several years at the University of Texas Medical Branch as a nurse.

Later, she was accepted into the pilot RN-to-BSN Flexible Option Track program at the UTMB School of Nursing. There were nine students in that program, including two other GC graduates.

“I guess you could say we were pioneers,” she said laughingly. Her children were in high school by then, so that provided her the opportunity to pursue the training, which included clinicals along with classroom coursework.

Carroll worked at UTMB for 35 years, seeking her master’s degree in Education at the University of Houston in Clear Lake to prepare her to teach within a nursing program.

She retired from UTMB in 1994 but continued her career in League City at Deveraux, a treatment facility for adolescents with behavioral problems.

Carroll continues to stay active in her church ministry at McKinney Memorial United Methodist Church in La Marque. She founded a Health Awareness Ministry at her church, along with four other nurses from the congregation. In 2022, Carroll and several colleagues coordinated an online webinar on mental health, which included a panel of professionals for 30 attendees. The National Alliance on Mental Illness was also a sponsor and participant.

Life has brought Carroll full circle and she is now a member of the Galveston College Alumni Association.

“I think every institution of higher learning should provide a sense of comradery and a sense of belonging for their alumni,” said Carroll, who looks forward to attending future events at GC. “I am very grateful to Galveston College as it opened doors for me and provided me with opportunities I would not have had otherwise, academically and financially.”

For more information about the Galveston College Alumni Association, contact GC Development Officer, Della Shorman, at [email protected] or call 409-944-1291.

 

ABOUT GALVESTON COLLEGE

Galveston College was founded in 1967 and is a comprehensive community college providing the residents of Galveston Island and the surrounding region with academic, workforce development, continuing education and community service programs.