Nursing Scholarships
TTUHSC El Paso, Fox Auto Team Announce Partnership Benefiting Hunt School of Nursing Students
Support of Hunt School of Nursing students comes at critical time
Tis the season of giving thanks, and we have much to be thankful for as Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso and Fox Auto Team announced a partnership to benefit Hunt School of Nursing students.
The announcement on Tuesday, Oct. 4, kicked off TTUHSC El Paso’s Season of Thanks, a celebration of support for the mission of the university, home to the Foster School of Medicine, Hunt School of Nursing, Francis Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, and the Hunt School of Dental Medicine.
The partnership between TTUHSC El Paso and Fox Auto Team – called “10 for 10” as the university nears its 10-year anniversary – aims to raise a total of $10,000 for 10 $1,000 scholarships to be awarded to Hunt School of Nursing students. The business will fundraise from both employees and customers until Nov. 9, 2022. The funds will then be matched by Paige Fox, vice president of Fox Auto Team.
Fox Auto Team joins an ever-growing group of TTUHSC El Paso community partners supporting our university’s mission of educating Borderplex students pursuing health care careers. Support of Hunt School of Nursing students comes at a critical time, as current nursing shortages are expected to increase within the next several years. The state of Texas is projected to face a shortfall of nearly 16,000 registered nurses by 2030, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. West Texas specifically is facing a shortfall of over 3,000 nurses.
Fox inherited a passion for selling cars from her father, Steve Fox, a well-known El Paso businessman who grew Fox Auto Team as its president and chief executive officer. She learned to run a business, but also made her own mark in the industry, implementing programs that have increased profitability while also ensuring that her employees were well taken care of during the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, she also learned the value of serving her community through the example of Steve and her mother Nancy. Together, the Fox family, including Paige’s sister Ashley, have prioritized helping others, especially through the Fox Family Foundation, which aims to improve access to health care in our border community.
Her legacy of giving back continues through the Season of Thanks campaign.
“We’ve all interacted with nurses and we’ve all been touched by nurses who have helped local families in various situations. They are the heroes of our community,” Fox said. “I’m so grateful for where I work and for the opportunity to make a difference with the Fox Auto Team. We’re one unified team and we have the capability to come together like no other business in El Paso and change the lives of nursing students.”
The Hunt School of Nursing is focused on educating students from El Paso and West Texas who will ease local nursing shortages and increase access to high-quality health care. Ten years ago, El Paso County faced a 40% shortage of nurses when compared to the national average.
Hunt School of Nursing graduates have made a significant difference, but the impact of COVID-19 has created an unprecedented shortage of nurses for the nation, the state and locally. There has never been a shortage like the one faced now.
As of 2022, the Hunt School of Nursing has educated more than 1,140 nursing students, with nearly 90% of graduates staying to practice in the region.
Scholarships help students like Amberly Cotton, who grew up in Las Cruces, and is enrolled in the Hunt School of Nursing’s Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program. Cotton, the youngest of nine children, graduated from New Mexico State University with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology. After encouragement from a professor and the desire to contribute to her community in a meaningful way, Cotton realized she had a heart for health care and ultimately decided to become a nurse practitioner.
However, students like Cotton who receive financial aid often exhaust those funds before deciding to pursue a different degree, and she understands the impact a scholarship can have on those in a similar situation.
The first step in her journey of a nursing career is graduating with a bachelor of science in nursing from the Hunt School of Nursing. If the rigorous 16-month academic program wasn’t enough, she’s also balancing it with her home life. Her husband is currently enrolled at TTUHSC El Paso’s Foster School of Medicine and they’re expecting their first child.
Today, she’s the recipient of a scholarship that covers the full unmet need of her tuition. The scholarship was awarded thanks to gifts from community leaders during the Hunt School of Nursing’s recent 10-year anniversary.
“Having the scholarship is just a reminder to me that people do see the effort and that it's worthwhile to them that I succeed,” Cotton said. “It means the difference between incredible amounts of stress and relief because nursing school's just hard in general. I feel supported and uplifted by our community, and despite the challenges, I feel propelled by this generous gift to do better, be better and serve to the best of my ability.”
Her experiences are similar to those of many Hunt School of Nursing students, most of whom are first-generation college students and whose average age is 27. Nontraditional students often face additional challenges throughout their education; however, scholarships ensure that they never have to worry about meeting necessary needs for their families like groceries and utilities.
Stephanie Woods, Ph.D., R.N., dean of the Hunt School of Nursing, said scholarships offer a lifeline to students so they can meet their goals, graduate on time and enter the workforce shortly after.
“We are incredibly grateful to Paige Fox, Fox Auto Team and their customers for investing in our future nursing heroes,” said Dr. Woods. “Scholarships are often life-changing for our students because they are able to focus on their education without the worry of taking on additional jobs to care for themselves and their families. Community support like this allows students to concentrate on becoming the health care leaders we know they can be. They are critical in meeting the nursing needs of our region.”
More About the Hunt School of Nursing
The Hunt School of Nursing opened in 2011 with the mission of providing educational opportunities for local students, while also combating the local nursing shortage. The school offers R.N. to B.S.N and M.S.N. degree programs, and the only accelerated program in the region where students can earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in just 16 months.
The Hunt School of Nursing has partnerships with every hospital in the El Paso community, which includes clinical rotation opportunities and job placements post-graduation, helping to fill the critical need for nurses. The school’s curriculum also prepares students for leadership positions in hospitals and clinics.
Currently, 87% of students at the Hunt School of Nursing are El Paso natives.
About Fox Auto Team
Fox Auto Team, founded in 2015, is a premier Texas Acura, Lexus and Toyota dealer. Fox Auto Team offers buyers a large selection of new and used vehicles, financing options, and service and parts, making the business a preferred dealer for customers across West Texas and Southern New Mexico.
About TTUHSC El Paso
TTUHSC El Paso is the only health sciences center on the U.S.-Mexico border and serves 108 counties in West Texas that have been historically underserved. It is designated as a Title V Hispanic-Serving Institution, preparing the next generation of health care leaders, 48% of whom identify as Hispanic and are often first-generation college students.
TTUHSC El Paso was established to focus on the unique health care and educational needs of our Borderplex community. In 2023, TTUHSC El Paso will celebrate its 10th anniversary as an autonomous university within the Texas Tech University System. In those 10 years, the university has graduated nearly 2,000 doctors, nurses, researchers and will soon add dentists to its alumni.