Carolyn Frey finds fulfillment in second career as a nurse
For HFC alumna Carolyn Frey, nursing is a calling.
“I had been interested in nursing prior to my first bachelor's degree, but I ultimately decided not to go that route. The idea of nursing continued to stay in my mind over the years. I was jumping around so much that I decided it was time to dive into my calling: nursing,” explained Frey. “I had many great inspirations. Both my grandmothers, my mother-in-law, and some of my closest friends were nurses. I feel called to work in a helping profession where I am able to support others in any way that I can. I knew from the beginning that I was interested in community or public health nursing. This type of nursing supports the whole person and approaches healthcare with a preventive lens.”
Enjoys making a positive impact in people’s lives
For five years, Frey has worked at Starfish Family Services in Inkster, a nonprofit human service agency that has been recognized as a champion for children and families in the Metro Detroit area who have limited access to education, healthcare, and economic opportunities.
Frey works with the Nurse-Family Partnership program at Starfish. This program pairs a nurse with a first-time expectant parent. This nurse works in a supportive role with the family from pregnancy until the child turns 2.
Frey has been the Community Liaison for the NFP program at Starfish for three years. Her duties include:
- Performing outreach throughout Wayne County so that more expectant parents and medical providers are aware of the program.
- Building community connections and keeping track of and coordinating resources to support Starfish clients.
- Supporting Starfish’s nursing team through educational training and resource tools.
Previously, Frey served as a Nurse Home Visitor at Starfish. She supported parents and infants, ensuring that parents were informed and prepared for childbirth and parenting, and taking care of their child’s health and their own.
“I really enjoy making a positive impact in people’s lives, building positive and supportive connections, giving someone more information, having a feeling of respect and value, and planting a seed that can continue to grow into more positive experiences,” she said.
Jump starting her health care career
The youngest of three and the only daughter, Frey was born in Detroit, where she lives with her husband, Joe Lauchlan, and their two children. Frey graduated from Mercy High School in Farmington Hills. She earned her bachelor's degree in political science with minors in Spanish and peace studies at Loyola University Chicago. When she decided to switch careers and go into nursing, Frey attended HFC.
“HFC was not far from where I lived in Southwest Detroit and it seemed like a wise choice to go there for my prerequisites, given its good reputation, location, and pricing,” she recalled. “I took seven prerequisite classes at the College. I remember two organic chemistry classes and one microbiology class all being particularly good. These classes played a key role in preparing me professionally by giving me the educational background to understand the reasons behind nursing actions and the impact of those nursing actions on the body.”
Frey transferred to Wayne State University and earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing. She has been a registered nurse since 2017 and a certified lactation consultant since 2020. She also has organic farmer certification through Michigan State University.
After graduating from Wayne State, Frey worked for a year at what is now Corewell Health William Beaumont University Hospital in Royal Oak on a medical surgical floor. Afterward, Frey worked for the NFP program through Authority Health before the program moved to Starfish.
Passionate about justice, equity, quality of life, and joy
Frey is passionate about justice, equity, quality of life, and joy for all, values that have tied her work and her personal life together. Before changing careers, Frey worked as an AmeriCorps volunteer at Bridging Communities, Inc. in Detroit, a nonprofit that supports elders, housing, and other community improvement/building efforts.
“I worked on a program rehabbing empty houses and selling them to community members via land contract. This program made home ownership more accessible, and it salvaged homes in the community. If a home was left empty, there were high chances it might burn down or be damaged,” she said.
After AmeriCorps, Frey went through the MSU Organic Farmer Training program, where she studied and worked on the MSU Organic Farm for one year. She returned to Detroit and spent several years working in community gardening and farming. Then she began her prerequisites at the College.
Empowering people for a good quality of life
Frey spoke about the challenges in being a nurse.
“Our society creates many of the challenges we are working to support our clients in overcoming,” she explained. “It is challenging to balance the desire to support clients and patients with balancing my personal and home life. There are not enough social supports in our society and so many people are struggling financially, which negatively impacts their physical and mental health.”
She continued: “I have a hard time turning off work when I am concerned about a difficult situation someone else is in. This is true for me in all forms of nursing – whether they don’t have stable housing, food, are experiencing a medical crisis, or are experiencing mental health challenges. That is the hardest part of work for me to ‘turn off’ and be fully present in my personal life.”
The rewards of nursing are worthwhile.
“Building trusting and supportive therapeutic relationships with clients and patients is at the top,” she said. “Building a connection where clients and patients feel heard, valued, and confident that they can reach out when they have questions, so they can feel more empowered and are able to keep their families healthy and safe and experience a good quality of life.”