Cara Welsh

Cara Sexton Welsh is a native of Madison and a product of Madison City Schools. She is a commercial lender, a wife, mother, community volunteer and is the first MCS alumni to serve on the Madison City Board of Education since the school system began in 1998.

She is also a “boomerang,” having moved away for college and early career only to return to Madison to “raise my family in the best public school system in the state.”

Ms. Welsh introduces herself to the school community in this column, which ran in the July issue of Madison Living. She was appointed by the Madison City Council to replace Tim Holtcamp, who rotated off the board after serving two-five year terms.

Here is Cara’s story.

School never came easily for me. I struggled academically and considered myself the classic “Grayman.” I found out in later years I had an undiagnosed learning disorder, when all along I truly thought I was not intelligent and not capable of traditional success.

At a young age I did develop a high level of emotional intelligence and self-awareness. I struggled with self-esteem and relied on these skills as a method of survival. Studio Art was my outlet and was always my favorite class K-12. It was the one place I could unleash everything in my head. It was accepted as is and there was no right or wrong answer.

Ironically, when I arrived in my freshman year of high school I began to realize I needed to get out of Madison. I wanted to go off to a university, work in a big city, travel, etc. But In order to do that I was going to have to work harder than my peers to make myself shine. If I had not been in such a competitive school system, if I had not been blessed to receive the rigorous education from Madison City Schools that I did, I would probably not have the career and life I do today.

I had to work even harder in college to keep up with my peers and the required GPA, but through all of this began the molding of my discipline and work ethic that I possess today.

No education can replace self-motivation and self-discipline.

You cannot teach that. It is priceless.

My story is for the underdogs. The kid who feels lost and hopeless. The kid who thinks they’re not good enough. Dreams do come true. Miracles are real. You can have anything and everything you want in this life BUT you must be prepared to work for it.

I am honored to have this opportunity to serve on the Madison City Board of Education. I am here to serve you and help keep MCS as one of the top performing school districts in the state. My children are a motivation to serve on the board but I believe firmly that God is calling me to this. Prior, I studied, worked and lived in Auburn, Atlanta and Birmingham before moving back to Madison in 2014.

I have volunteered and been a member of the PTA for many years. I also enjoy the financial education days that Redstone Federal Credit Union (where I work as a commercial lender) offers our local high schools. I love to cook, watch my children play sports, hike, run, go boating, and do volunteer work for various organizations including Kids to Love.

Now it is my turn to give back to the community that did so much to mold me. I strive to live by the principles “Every day is a blessing to learn something new, and, never forget the Golden Rule.”