George Edwards

My name is George Edwards and I started at NTCC in the fall semester of 2022. Unlike the majority of students, I started college at the age of 53. I was excited to start a new career in the field of funeral service. I started working for a funeral home, part time, in 2020 and decided to become a full-time funeral director and embalmer. I started my research on the few colleges in Texas that offer a funeral service degree. The cost of most of them seemed expensive. I found NTCC and researched the college. They were more affordable and had a well-established success rate for their graduates, which was impressive.
Being a first-time student, I didn’t know what to expect from the college experience. From the first call to NTCC, I was met by the most helpful people who helped me determine what I needed to do to begin. Everyone I spoke with made me feel welcome and wanted. For this I am thankful because it made my decision easier and a year later, I am still glad I made the decision to attend NTCC.

In August of 2022, after many phone calls and emails, I was enrolled into the funeral service certificate program to receive my funeral director license as quickly as possible. Less than a year later, in July of 2023, I took the State Board Exam for Funeral Directors. The staff and professors prepared me well for it, and I passed on the first attempt with a good grade. Now I am enrolled once again to work on my AAS for funeral service in the Mortuary Science program at NTCC. I am hoping to graduate in May of 2024, and with this great program, staff, and professors, I don’t see a problem receiving my diploma.

One thing I would recommend to new students is that if you want to get your AAS in funeral service, try not to take the certificate program first. By doing so, you will be left with all the sciences to take in your last two semesters.  Not that this is impossible, (I am doing it, and if I can do it anyone can) but it is a little more difficult than spreading all the classes out over a two-year period. The reason I needed the certificate in funeral directing first was because the funeral home I was going to work for really needed me to get my funeral director license first. I would recommend staying the course on how it is laid out in their program, but they are eager to accommodate you in any capacity you need.
Olga Scott, Program & Student Coordinator of Funeral Service Education, worked diligently with me to set the program up in the way that I needed it to be done. She has always been great at swiftly answering my emails with the multitude of questions I had.  Rebecca Gardner, Associate Professor & Director of Funeral Services, also consistently answered my emails quickly. I can’t thank all the staff and faculty enough for what they’ve done to get me through the first year. Abby Shurtz, Brant Davis, Savannah Calhoun, Jennifer Lares, and many others have made my college experience meaningful and productive.

As stated earlier, I am now in my science courses so I can get my embalmers license as well as my AAS degree. I have a few new teachers this semester and they have been wonderful also. They are Benjamin Schmidt, Shannon Kelley, and Brian Duplechain. The sciences are tough, and the professors know this, and have been willing to help in any way they possibly can. However, the structure of the classes has been fairly easy to navigate.

A word of advice- don’t ever hesitate to reach out to any of your professors or faculty for any assistance you need.  Not once have I felt like I was bothering them with my emails and questions. Being in an online class, you don’t have the luxury of raising your hand. That’s why email, Teams, and the various ways to communicate are available.  Also, make sure you are ready to commit to the program.  This is why I waited for 35 years after graduating high school. I wasn’t ready to commit to college. I thought I already knew everything. But guess what? I didn’t! (Just a little humor, but true). If anything in this life is worth doing, it’s worth doing your best.
I once again want to thank NTCC for their affordable Funeral Service Program, and all the effort that the staff and faculty put into education. It has truly been a wonderful experience to be able to attend college in this capacity. Please continue the great work you do for students. You are appreciated more than you know. Best of luck to everyone that attends this program and I hope to be considered your colleague in the future.

I wish you all the best.
George Edwards
Funeral Director
Student @ NTCC
Provisional Embalmer