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BROWNSVILLE, Texas — Thirteen dual enrollment students from five rural school districts earned Certified Nursing Assistant certificates through 51ÁÔÆæ’s Dual Enrollment CNA Program, completing a summer initiative that expands healthcare career opportunities across the Rio Grande Valley.<\/p>\n
The students were recognized during a July 17 pinning ceremony at La Villa Early College High School, marking the completion of the program’s inaugural cohort.<\/p>\n
The five-week program, held at La Villa ECHS, was created through TSC\u2019s Pathways to Career Regional P-TECH Expansion initiative, funded in part by the Educate Texas Fund of Communities Foundation of Texas.<\/p>\n
TSC collaborated with La Villa ISD, Lasara ISD, Lyford CISD, San Perlita ISD, and Santa Rosa ISD to expand dual enrollment opportunities and create pathways into high-demand healthcare careers.<\/p>\n
Dr. Prisci Roca Tipton, TSC’s Associate Vice President of Educational Partnerships and Outreach, said the program was intentionally offered during the summer so students could continue progressing along their selected healthcare pathways without disrupting their regular academic schedules.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt allowed students to complete their CNA coursework and earn college credit without displacing courses in their regular high school schedules,\u201d Tipton said. \u201cThey can now use the school year to focus on completing the core and prerequisite courses required for their selected health professions pathway, such as Anatomy & Physiology I and II.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ruth Torres, TSC’s Director of High School Programs and Services, said interest in the program is expected to grow as students recognize dual enrollment as a pathway into healthcare careers.<\/p>\n
\u201cStudents are seeing that dual enrollment can be part of a larger academic plan,\u201d Torres said. \u201cOur team works closely with students and counselors to provide intentional student planning, so each student understands which courses to take next and how those courses support the health professions pathway they have selected.\u201d<\/p>\n
Glendelia Chapa, a career and technical education teacher at La Villa ECHS and a TSC dual enrollment adjunct CNA instructor in the program, said students quickly embraced the opportunity.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is an amazing program because these kids can graduate with CNA certificates,\u201d Chapa said. \u201cIt\u2019s a foot in the door, and they loved it. They\u2019re saying they want to be registered nurses and NICU nurses. It opened their eyes to the health science field.\u201d<\/p>\n
La Villa ECHS Principal Ilsa Ochoa said the partnership between TSC and the school districts helps students from rural districts pursue opportunities rarely offered to them.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor our students, these are opportunities that don\u2019t present themselves unless they go to a big school,\u201d said Ochoa. \u201cThey have this chance to complete the coursework and it\u2019s an amazing thing that TSC has partnered with us to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lyford High School rising senior Ximena Rodriguez hopes to become a neonatal nurse in the future. For many students like her, the program provided their first hands-on exposure to healthcare careers while helping them earn credentials before graduating from high school.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve just done agriculture classes in high school, but I want to go into nursing,\u201d Rodriguez said. \u201cI think it\u2019s exciting and a good opportunity where we\u2019re able to be with a college and be certified for free.\u00a0<\/b>I\u2019ve taken classes through TSC before and I think it\u2019s a good opportunity for our school, which doesn\u2019t have these classes, to take advantage of that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jaden Herrera, a rising senior at La Villa Early College High School who aspires to be a pediatric nurse, enjoyed getting a chance to learn alongside students from other high schools.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love going to the nursing homes, especially,\u201d she said. \u201cSeeing that is heartwarming. We all got along and created a bond. It’s not like La Villa by itself or Lyford by themselves\u2014we were all together.\u201d<\/p>\n
Enelly Martinez, a rising junior at Santa Rosa High School, was one of three students from her school who took part in the program. Inspired by her mother, a school nurse, she enrolled in the program to explore a healthcare career of her own.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mom is our district nurse, and she\u2019s always encouraged me to pursue a career in healthcare,\u201d Martinez said. \u201cIt\u2019s something I\u2019ve wanted to do for as long as I can remember. My goal is to continue in the nursing program, hopefully at TSC. I\u2019m currently taking dual-enrollment courses, and I hope to graduate with my associate degree.\u201d<\/p>\n
Santa Rosa ISD Superintendent Dr. Isaac Rodriguez praised the students for dedicating part of their summer to advancing their education.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to send a shout to 51ÁÔÆæ for affording them this opportunity,\u201d he said. \u201cAll three of them are cheerleaders and active in extracurricular activities, so this helps them out in the school year where they can focus on other studies and their activities. They took advantage of their summer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOne day, they may become the nurses, respiratory therapists, sonographers, radiologic technologists, laboratory professionals and caregivers serving their own families and communities,\u201d Tipton said. \u201cThis first cohort demonstrates the value of intentional dual enrollment pathways\u2014expanding opportunity for students while strengthening the future of healthcare across our region.\u201d<\/p>\n
As students from the inaugural cohort move forward in their education, they carry more than a credential. They leave the program with college credit, hands-on healthcare experience and a clearer pathway toward careers that could one day serve the communities where they grew up.<\/p>\n
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