Friday, Jan. 29, marked a bittersweet moment for the Laredo College community as administrators, faculty, staff, and students bid farewell to a beloved leader that changed the course of the college’s history and left an indelible mark on the lives of thousands of students and colleagues.
Laredo College South Campus Dean Carolyn Schmies retired after more than 12 years working for the college. Although she looks forward to resting, spending time with her family and pursuing other life goals, she reiterated her unyielding love for the college and how much she will miss the friendships and work relationships she built over the years.
Laredo College President Dr. Ricardo J. Solis heaped praise on Dean Schmies and described her not only as a great friend and colleague but also a trailblazing woman.
“Although her time at Laredo College has come to an end, I know she has a lot of great moments to look forward to,” Dr. Solis said. “I can’t think of anyone more deserving of enjoying retirement than Carolyn. Words such as positive and optimistic simply do not adequately describe her. She is a remarkable woman who has shattered glass ceilings and been a role model for other strong, empowered women in our community.”
A Seattle, Washington native, Schmies moved around and traveled from a young age. During her childhood and teen years, she lived in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and India due to her father’s occupation. He was a pastor and was selected to be the first African-American missionary for their church.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Speech Communication and Sociology from Anderson University and a Master of Arts in Communication from Ball State University. From early on in her career, she was passionate about being in the classroom and helping students succeed.
Her first job was in Indianapolis as a school teacher for 6th graders, and she later became a reference librarian for six months before joining General Motors, where she had a tenure of more than 36 years. Despite her young age, and due to her impeccable work ethic and undeniable leadership skills, Schmies became the first female and African-American supervisor at General Motors and was later promoted to become the first female buyer in the company.
Several promotions later, she was relocated to Laredo and worked in Mexico at the company’s maquiladoras, where she once again became the first female and African-American on staff. She traveled throughout Mexico and fell in love with its people and its culture.
Upon her retirement from General Motors, she worked as catering director at the Laredo Country Club before starting her own company – Schmies and Associates. The consulting company specialized in training and events.
In 2009, the now-dean came across the position for speech instructor at the college. She started at the South Campus as an adjunct speech instructor before being offered a full-time position only a few months later. In one year, she was promoted to chair of the Reading and Communication Department and relocated to the Ft. McIntosh Campus.
The department name changed the next year to the Business and Communication Department. She held that job for another year and a half before resigning to return to the classroom, where she remained until 2019, when she was appointed Interim Dean of the South Campus. A few months later, she was officially named Dean of South Campus, overlooking an important division of the college.
A pioneer who excelled in male-dominated spaces, she never lost her sense of humanity and her genuine love and compassion, always advocating for the needs of others.
“Excellence is my goal in anything that I do,” she said. “I have high expectations for myself. I love people, so I try to do my best by them. Being the first female and black in many of my roles adds an extra incentive to be at the top of my game. I am very dedicated and willing to ‘go the distance’ and put in whatever amount of time and effort is necessary.”
She has served in different leadership positions in numerous non-profit and civic organizations, including being vice president for United Way of Laredo, president of Literacy Volunteers of Laredo, vice president of the Optimist Club, Leadership Women regional ambassador for Laredo, board member for the Holding Institute, and Chair of the Laredo College United Way Committee.
She has been recognized with multiple awards, such as the 2017 Trailblazing Award Women in Labor, Business and Education, Trailblazing Award 2018 Young Women’s Student Leadership Summit, Laredo College Trailblazing Women Award, and Black History Award from U. S. Border Patrol.
The dean said she feels blessed for a great life with a lot of hard work that has been rewarding. She said although she has loved all of her jobs, being the Dean of the South Campus rates at the top.
She added that the college has been a great place to work and that the institution will continue to succeed. She said she leaves with a heart full of great lessons, memories and friendships. She thanked President Solis for recognizing her abilities and giving her the opportunity to shine and make a difference as a leader.
She will be dearly missed and always remembered as a transformational leader, mentor, and educator.
