Samantha Harrell: Alumna brings career full circle
Long before Samantha Harrell became program director for surgical technology, she was a student walking the same halls, learning the same skills she now teaches.
Harrell is not only a San Jacinto College employee of 15 years but an alumna success story.
Before that, she spent years figuring out where she belonged in healthcare — waiting tables, working as a nurse’s aide, and trying to understand how her strengths could translate into a career.
“I am a very hands-on learner, so a supervisor suggested surgical technology,” Harrell said. “It was a perfect fit for my learning style, and I fell in love with the operating room.”
She graduated from San Jac’s surgical technology program in 2006.
“It was an excellent program, and I knew I wanted to teach here one day,” she said. “Once I received my three years of required experience, I began working for the program as a clinical instructor.”
She started her career journey at the College as an adjunct surgical technology instructor in 2010 at the Central Campus. In 2018, she became full-time faculty and surgical technology lab coordinator, then clinical coordinator in 2022. She reached a new milestone in spring 2025 when she accepted the position of surgical technology program director.
Across all these roles, watching students succeed is the heart of the job.
Graduation is the goal, but sitting with a student who just lost a loved one, talking someone through the emotional weight of a difficult surgery, helping another navigate illness or sudden financial strain are the moments that matter the most to Harrell.
I feel truly honored to be an educator. I'm proud of each graduating class, and it truly is an honor to play a role as program director in the success of their graduation and passing their national board exam.
Harrell’s professional experience has always involved the operating room. She specialized in oncology surgery in the Texas Medical Center from 2007 to 2018 and continues to work in a level two trauma operating room on a PRN basis. This ongoing clinical work brings fresh insight back into her teaching, creating a direct link between the classroom and the demands of the field.
Even as her responsibilities have grown, the connection to San Jac remains personal.
It’s where she trained, where she returned as an instructor, and where she now leads the program that shaped her own career. Her journey reflects what it means to return, give back, and lift others as they begin their own paths — bringing it full circle.
Harrell’s expertise continues to grow and flourish at the place where it began, and student success remains her ultimate focus.
About San Jacinto College Surrounded by monuments of history, evolving industries, maritime enterprises of today,
and the space age of tomorrow, San Jacinto College has served the people of East Harris
County, Texas, since 1961. The College is ranked second in the nation among more than
1,100 community colleges, as designated by the Aspen Institute and was named an Achieving
the Dream Leader College of Distinction in 2020. As a Hispanic-Serving Institution
that spans five campuses, plus an online college, San Jacinto College serves approximately
45,000 credit and non-credit students annually. It offers more than 200 degrees and
certificates across eight major areas of study that put students on a path to transfer
to four-year institutions or enter the workforce. The College is fiscally sound, holding
bond ratings of AA+ by Standard & Poor’s and Aa2 by Moody’s. San Jacinto College is
accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
