FORT WORTH, Texas — Andrea Warner used to arrive an hour before her shift on a Navy cardiac care unit to check the crash cart and walk the ward with the outgoing team lead. Today, she helps students at Tarrant County College Southeast take their first steps toward a degree while she prepares to apply to TCC’s radiologic technology program.
Warner grew up in Louisiana. When she told her grandfather, an Army veteran and former drill sergeant, that she wanted to be a pediatrician, he asked how she planned to pay for school. He suggested military service.
She served as a hospital corpsman from 2014 to 2018 and became a team lead on a cardiac care unit. Her duties ranged from matching corpsmen with nurses for a shift to checking patients’ vital signs, drawing blood and starting IVs.
After the Navy, Warner moved to Fort Worth to live with her brother and his wife. She later settled in Grand Prairie and chose TCC Southeast for its short commute. A health sciences open house at TCC Trinity River convinced her where she wanted to pursue radiologic technology.
Adapting from the structured Navy routine to college brought culture shock. With anatomy and physiology on her first-semester schedule, she found her footing by recording lectures and attending as many study sessions as she could.
As a student worker in the Veterans Resource Center at TCC Southeast, Warner helps veterans and their dependents navigate education benefits, make advising appointments and choose class sections.
“Helping fellow veterans creates a profound sense of shared understanding, purpose and community,” she said. “It bridges the gap between military service and civilian life.”
Dr. Melinda Bowens, veterans counselor at TCC Southeast, said Warner “demonstrates incredible leadership” in anticipating the needs of student veterans and all who need assistance.
“Her heart for service,” Bowens said, “shines bright even when no one is watching.”
Warner plans to apply to TCC’s radiologic technology program during the next application cycle. She likes the mix of technical work and patient care, from positioning patients for an exam to comforting someone who’s anxious or in pain.
For veterans unsure about starting college, Warner has direct advice.
“I would say to honestly just do it! There are a tremendous number of resources out there and people who genuinely care and want to help you.”
Tarrant County College serves nearly 100,000 students each year, offering accessible, affordable pathways to in-demand careers and university transfer. Across multiple campuses and TCC Connect — a fully online learning option — the College partners with more than 1,200 employers to help build the workforce that drives North Texas forward. Bold Steps. Better Futures.