San Jac alumna puts the care in career
Patricia Carter has been a San Jacinto College employee for six years as senior administrative assistant for the associate degree nursing program on the Central Campus, but her connection to the College goes back decades.
“When I got this job, I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, I get to work in the nursing field without having to see needles. That’s a win,’” Carter said.
She considers this opportunity an homage to her late mom, who was a nurse and devoted to helping others.
“She was always that person trying to be helpful, and I think that is embedded in me,” Carter said.
Planting San Jac roots
Carter enrolled at San Jac shortly after graduating from high school in 1980. As a high school cheerleader, she was a natural for the San Jac cheer squad supporting the College’s basketball team.
In this role, Carter’s instinct to help others shined through. She and a friend often helped the out-of-state basketball players who didn’t have transportation or family and friends nearby.
“Sometimes we’d pick them up and bring them to my parents’ house to eat or take them to the mall if they needed anything — just to help out,” she said. “We did lots of things to support the players and the school, like fundraisers, fairs, and I was even part of a dunking booth once. Being a cheerleader was fun.”
Although the enthusiasm was there, life happened, and Carter had to take a long pause from her education to focus on family.
The next chapter
When her youngest child was old enough, Carter decided to join the workforce.
“Computers were becoming a big thing then, and I didn’t really have any training, so I decided to go back to San Jac,” she said.
Carter completed an administrative assistant certificate program at the Central Campus in 2001, which helped her land an administrative role in the oil and gas industry. After 15 years on the job, a layoff altered her course.
After a few months, she was ready to work again and decided to apply for a job at her alma mater. North Campus called first but had to reschedule her interview. In the interim, Central Campus swooped in with an offer she couldn’t refuse. Carter calls it a twist of fate.
When work feels like home
What Carter loves most about San Jac is the family-like environment.
It’s like no other place I’ve ever worked. I love the atmosphere and the camaraderie. We are like a family, and we take care of each other.
She treats students and colleagues with the same warmth.
Carter guides students through the maze of paperwork, orientations, exams, and immunization requirements that come with nursing school. She offers encouragement — and sometimes a piece of chocolate or even a hug when needed.
Carter also volunteers with San Jac Cares.
“It’s a phone call to check on students and offer guidance on things like financial aid, account holds, or whatever they need help with,” she said. “If I don’t know the answer, I promise to connect them to the right person. I do it because everybody matters to me.”
Just a few years from retirement, Carter is content with the impact she’s made and plans to keep paying it forward through kindness and serving others.
