All of us know choosing a profession may take years of thought. However, some know early on what they want to become in life. Once I decided to enter the funeral industry, it was a quick decision. I believe that everyone has a unique path to follow and I was no different than anyone else wanting to achieve my goals. The decision to enter a mortuary college was simple since there is only one mortuary school in Tennessee and I knew I wanted to be close to home. The only difference between the majority of the students at John A. Gupton College in 1997 and me was the fact that I was a female.
Eleanor Roosevelt once said that “the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” In order to achieve dreams and goals, individuals usually have to enter some type of educational program. The life of a college student holds many dreams. Most individuals entering college are eager, excited, and thirsting for knowledge. There is not much difference between a traditional college student and today’s mortuary college student. The only unique and amazing fact about mortuary colleges is that there are an increasing number of female students enrolled today.
When I enrolled in Mortuary College in 1997, I did not expect meeting many female classmates. At the time of my enrollment, I was the minority. The female graduates at that time made up 24% of the graduating class. However, thirteen years later the percentage of female graduates has risen to 49% and I must say I am delighted to be a part of that change. I hope that it allows more opportunities to those females that have had their dreams closed to them for so many years.
Today’s female mortuary student, like all students, must have heart, determination, and knowledge. Luckily today, the thought process of the funeral business being a ‘man’s industry’ is slowly fading away. Today’s female student is empowered by change and embraces all challenges.
Women are natural multi-taskers, and in the funeral business-that is certainly required. Women also tend to nurture, and what better way for a funeral director to support a family than with that nurturing quality. The female mortuary students are engaged in learning the trade and traditions of the funeral service. These ladies don’t have as many challenges as those in the past decades. Today, the mortuary classroom is full of diversity and this allows the future to be tremendously bright for our mortuary students. They all learn the trade of funeral service in addition to the traditions as well as the nontraditional aspects of the industry.
Another aspect of the female mortuary student is that they are encouraged early on regarding job placement. In years past, it was unheard of for females to be working at the funeral home unless they were the secretary. However, in today’s society the female student is urged to portray the appearance of a funeral director at all times, locate employment, and learn the techniques and requirements at the funeral home.
As an instructor at Gupton College, I get to witness those new students arriving and I tend to feel there is more uncertainty from the incoming female students. When asking some of the current students what they felt the first day of classes, they all stated that it was astonishing to see the number of female students that were enrolled in addition to the fact of the younger ages of the students. The female students explained that they felt that being a female gave them an advantage to being a funeral director. In addition to being multi-taskers and nurturers, they also thought that women were more detail oriented and compassionate. They all stated that by helping people they felt that it was making a difference and the work would be very rewarding.
These students are eager, kind, and willing to work hard to achieve their dreams to make a difference. So, with those differences in mind I leave you with a quote by Marian Wright Edelman,
“We must not, in trying to think about how we make a big difference, ignore the small daily difference we can make which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee.”
Tracy Hamm Allen
Director of Mortuary Science & Alumni Relations – John A. Gupton College
About Tracy
Tracy Hamm Allen is currently the Director of Mortuary Science & Alumni Relations at John A Gupton College in Nashville, TN. After graduating from Gupton College in 1998, Tracy was employed by Alexander Funeral Home in Gallatin, Tennessee. Later, she transferred to Spring Hill Funeral Home & Cemetery in Nashville where she worked various roles such as funeral director, embalmer, funeral home administrator and cemetery administrator. She advanced in various roles within the organization (Alderwoods Group) such as Market Administrator, Regional Administrator, and eventually took on the role of Market General Manager. In 2006, at the time of the Alderwoods Group/SCI merger, she accepted the position of General Manager for the Middle Tennessee area. Tracy graduated from Trevecca University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in 2003 and she will complete her M.B.A. degree from Bethel University in June of 2011. Tracy loves to be around people, especially friends and family. Her and her husband, Brandon, have two wonderful dogs –Mack & Macy and currently live in Spring Hill, Tennessee.
