ALPHA Student Profile
Carl Goodson

ALPHA student Carl Goodson has considered himself a social worker for a long time. And now he’s getting the degree.

After spending years providing guidance to youth in the Pee Dee Region and raising two daughters with his wife, the Darlington resident finally has time to go back to school. Carl began taking classes in Coker College’s evening program in 1996, but life led him elsewhere. After a nearly decade-long hiatus, he is back in Coker’s classrooms.

“I came back to Coker to gain the knowledge I need to enhance the work I’ve been doing my entire life,” Carl said. “I’ve learned more about how to help people in my classes than I could have in a lifetime of trying on my own.”

Before returning to Coker, Carl was employed by the same company for 34 years. When the company downsized and laid Carl off, he seized the chance for a fresh start.

“It was one of the best things to ever happen to me because I was able to come back to Coker,” he said. “I told people I wasn’t going to work anymore unless I could do something that would help somebody.”

So Carl enrolled in classes at Coker and began volunteering at the Harvest Hope Food Bank in Florence, where he was soon offered a permanent job. Now the Agency Relationship Specialist at the Food Bank, Carl has made a career out of helping people. The food bank’s mission is to provide for the needs of hungry people by gathering and sharing quality food with dignity, compassion and education.

“I have one of the best jobs in the world,” Carl said.

As a busy professional already working full time, Carl appreciates Coker’s convenience – he says it’s especially convenient that classes are scheduled two evenings a week.

“It gives us the opportunity to complete class work and study in between sessions without losing focus on our careers.”

Active in the ALPHA Student Advisory Committee, the social work major acts as a liaison between evening students and administration. The Committee gives a voice to the evening program, bringing concerns and student affairs to the attention of the administration.

“This has been the best year ever,” Carl said. “I wanted a degree so I could understand more about how to help people – and I’ve gotten it.”

For more information, contact Ashley Simatic - 843.383.8018