By Julianne Fullerton | Reporter
Baylor’s Alumni of the Year is a distinguished honor, given annually to an alumnus or alumna who flings their green and gold afar, making a difference in the world through outstanding service and leadership.
Ann Holden, Baylor’s Alumni Board of Advocates awards committee chair, said throughout the selection process, each candidate is evaluated with the mission of Baylor in mind. She said it takes a considerable amount of time, thought, discernment and prayer.
“As we evaluate each candidate, the mission of Baylor is central to that: to educate men and women for worldwide leadership and service by integrating academic excellence and Christian commitment within a caring community,” Holden said. “The alumna or alumnus of the year is awarded to a graduate who’s achieved distinction through exceptional contributions to our international, national, state or community welfare.”
This year, the honor was awarded to Maj. Gen. Joel Carey, who currently serves as the director of operations, strategic deterrence and nuclear integration for the United States Air Force in Europe and Africa. As part of his role, Carey said he prepares, plans for and conducts operations in the midst of both current and emerging threats.
“We provide an array of capabilities to help improve stability in the region and then across the globe,” Carey said. “I’ve had the opportunity to learn a lot from how we’re conducting operations and also build relationships with joint leaders, so we can best go about supporting the national interest of the United States around the globe.”
Carey graduated in 1992 and said his first immersive experience on Baylor’s campus was with Baylor football. His involvement stretched wider than just the field, as he was an active member of both Air Force ROTC and Kappa Omega Tau during his undergraduate years.
Ultimately, through a combination of his education and extracurriculars, he said Baylor strengthened his character.
“I think the Christian focus, the charter of the university and the beliefs just provide a venue to get an education where the professors are clearly focused on character development along with the academic focus,” Carey said.
Carey said his leaders, coaches and professors at Baylor pushed him to grow because of the way they steadily mentored him.
“Having high-character leaders and professors investing in you, holding you to high standards, highlighting where you need to improve and also highlighting where you’re doing well, can’t help but impact you,” Carey said. “It was four years of just great mentorship and guidance that I had from a lot of the individuals that were on campus.”
Carey said he attributes the success he has now to everyone who invested in him from the very beginning, combined with the grace of God that opened doors to new possibilities for serving his country.
“Any level of impact, success or opportunity that I’ve been given has been the result of investments that other people have made in me,” Carey said. “I’m also a firm believer that, through God’s grace, he’s had enough of a sense of humor and curiosity to give me some opportunities here and there. It’s been from my parents and my family, to teachers, coaches and teammates that have supported me, helped mentor me and coached me to develop the talents that I’ve been given.”
With a 29-year Air Force career under his belt, Carey said he’s had an abundance of memorable and thrilling experiences. Above all, he said the comradery and kinship he’s found make everything he does worth it.
“There are a lot of experiences that come to mind, from getting to solo a fighter jet for the first time to coming back after a successful mission and being able to celebrate that with your flight-mates,” Carey said. “Just enjoying the highs and the lows and life with your squadron-mates — people who are generally oriented toward service, aspiring character and working for a greater purpose than themselves.”
Working for the Air Force has given Carey a rich cultural appreciation, which he said has helped him realize that people are a lot more alike when it comes down to the core issues of life.
“I think the Air Force offered me an opportunity to continue to broaden my perspective in learning different viewpoints that people who grew up in different parts of the globe will bring to the conversation,” Carey said. “It’s been instructive to me to know how important it is to listen and to ensure that people know that their input is valued and acknowledged.”
Carey said above all else, he is proud of his family and the kind of people his five children have grown up to be.
“I hesitate to call it an accomplishment, because this is not something that I did, but seeing all five of our kids come to faith in Jesus Christ is something that I would definitely see as a huge milestone in our family’s life,” Carey said.
One of Carey’s mentors gave him practical advice early on that he said he still tries to live by to this day. Carey said if he had to leave Baylor students with one thing to remember as they embark on the rest of their college careers, it would be this.
“Some of the best advice I got, and I try to live by each day, is don’t worry about the specific destination and where you’re going,” Carey said. “Focus more on the path and how you want to live your life, versus exactly what you want to do with it. It doesn’t mean it’s easy, but it helps with moving out and taking steps in the face of ambiguity.”
