Kecia Charles has always had a drive inside her to help others.
The St. Rose native has been a registered nurse for the past 25 years and currently serves as the health services administrator at Nelson Coleman Correctional Center in Killona, where she oversees a staff providing care for more than 400 inmates. Beyond her job there, however, she regularly mentors young women in the community, lending wisdom to help them achieve.
When it came time to choose a career, Charles had two distinct paths in mind, each of them a path to give of herself to others: nursing and teaching, and she was torn between them.
Ultimately, her calling was nursing, noting that decision was something of a natural call. Charles has strong bloodlines in the medical field.
“I come from a long line of nurses in my family,” Charles said. “My oldest aunt was one of the first African-American nursing administrators at the Veteran’s Administration. I have two sisters and eight cousins who are nurses … I like to say caregiving is in our DNA.”
It’s a decision she has zero regrets on.
“Nursing is challenging, interesting and allows me to make a difference in people’s daily lives. Working in corrections allows me to provide quality healthcare to an underserved population.”
Her last point is a key one. Charles has spent the bulk of her career providing her skills to underserved communities, embracing what is the road less traveled for many.
“Most of my career has been in specialty areas where some would shy away from, specifically infectious diseases and in corrections,” Charles said. “I embrace it. Teaching someone how to improve their quality and quantity of life with regards to their health provides me with so much satisfaction.
“I always enjoy seeing former patients in public and hearing them tell me how they have improved their health … I feel a sense of accomplishment and like my talks and teachable moments weren’t in vain.”
It also keeps her highly motivated on a daily basis.
“I have to be the best me every day because no two days are ever the same,” said Charles, who has worked with the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office for 16 years.
Her mentorship comes as result of her soft spot for young people, as well as a strong belief that the strongest way to ensure a community grows and remains strong is through its children. She’s offered guidance with choosing career paths and applying for financial aid – for some in need, she has even paid their college application fees herself to help ensure they would be able to secure a college education.
“The strength of our community is youth,” Charles said. “If we build up our youth, they will in turn build up our community. I’ve mentored several young ladies and that’s provided me with great pleasure … when I see young people succeed, it warms my heart.”
Charles said these are very important years for college age youths, as decisions are made that can affect their life and career paths.
That offers a bit of a puzzle, at times: it’s also a time when many are not sure at all of what they would like to pursue, career wise.
“Many young ladies have no idea what they want to do for the next 30 years,” said Charles. “I help them explore their likes, their hobbies and things they may be passionate about, and how that can help them find their career.
“My motto to them is education is something no one can ever take from you … once you have it, it’s yours forever.”
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