There have been times when Dr. Sean Wall- Carty could have given up on his dreams, but because of his family and the support he received from his friends, he has been able to push forward to become the person he is today.

“When I think of all of the things that I have gone through, it’s been an amazing journey,” said Carty.

And that journey took him from being homeless during high school and eventually dropping out of school to returning to school years later to earn his doctorate, becoming a professor at Western Governors University, a board member for the Fallsburg School Board and Fallsburg Town Board.
After starting his career in human resources at a large home improvement store, Carty realized he had reached as far as he could go with his level of education.

To continue on his journey, Carty said he would need to go back to school and said, “I told myself if I was going to do it, I was going all the way.”

Carty returned to school and was able to finish his high school requirements and receive his GED. That GED allowed him to apply for college, where he earned his associate’s degree in 2006, bachelor’s degree in 2008, then his master’s degree in 2012 and then his doctorate in 2018.

“It took me 11 years to do it while going to school, raising a family, and working and I moved to a new area all at the same time. But I knew my goal was to earn a doctorate when I was done,” said Carty.

He said he could not have done it without some special people in his life.

One of those people was a close friend who was going through late-stage cancer. Carty said he would visit her, and he would vent to her about the problems he was having in school.

Carty said that after handing in a paper, the professor suggested he look at another field or drop out of college altogether because his writing was so bad.

“I was complaining how awful this professor was,” when Carty says, she revealed that she would no longer receive treatment for cancer.

He said this hit him hard. Here he was complaining about what someone thought of him while this person was dealing with a life and death situation, and the person was okay with it and was at peace with her decision.

He stopped complaining and said he buckled down, got to work, and eventually earned an A in the class.

Carty said his stepfather, his grandmother, his friend, and his sister passed away during his schooling journey, but he said he kept going and working.

When Carty earned his doctorate in human resources, he said he celebrated the best way he knew how - by driving out to Dutchess Stadium and seeing the Hudson Valley Renegades on fireworks night.

“I had a blast,” said Carty.

He said having earned his doctorate and going back to college has opened doors for him.
Currently, Carty teaches at Western Governors University, which allows him to work from home.
Carty said he made his way to Sullivan County from New York City when he helped to open a video retail store in Liberty.

He explored the area and fell in love with it, and after looking for a home, the Cartys moved to Fallsburg.

Carty has been happily married to his wife Allison for over 20 years and they have three children - Jordyn, Heaven, and Avery.

However, Carty was still commuting back and forth from the city to Sullivan County in 2008.
After seeing an ad on LinkedIn to work in Human Resources at a non-profit in Sullivan County, Carty made the final leap to living and working full time in the county.

Carty wanted to give back, and after having two of his children involved with Nana’s House daycare in Rock Hill, he joined the board of directors and eventually became the CEO.

This led to other volunteering opportunities, such as the Kiwanis Club, Fallsburg School Board and the Sullivan County Human Rights Commission.

While at Nana’s House, he established free trips to NYC where families could go see broadway plays or baseball games.

“You really want to have a good, fun, safe environment,” said Carty.

He went on to say the trips allowed families to enjoy the city without worrying about parking.

While the pandemic has stopped the trips, Carty said he is working to bring the program back in the future.

Carty said all the volunteer opportunities have led to more opportunities to serve the community.

Carty recently ran and won a spot on the Town Board of Fallsburg, becoming the first black deputy supervisor.

Carty said Black History Month for him means it is a time to reflect and be inspired by the great African Americans who came before him and made all he has done possible.

While he enjoys hearing stories of Harriet Tubman or Rosa Parks, he says he wants to hear about the everyday person who has made it.

“I think that there’s an element out there that’s untapped in terms of the sciences, education, and mathematics. I would love to see those things come up even more and talked about more,” said Carty.

Carty said that seeing someone that is local makes things more tangible.

“It’s not a story in a book, and where the person can’t be reached. Instead the person is right here, front and center that inspires someone to do something good."

Listen to the full interview  this weekend on the Sullivan County Democrat podcast.