Hunt School of Nursing Commencement and Pinning Ceremony Celebrates Latest Graduating Cohort

Graduates from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso’s Hunt School of Nursing celebrated the end of their educational journey with a commencement ceremony among friends and loved ones Saturday, Dec. 17, at the Plaza Theatre in Downtown El Paso.

The Hunt School of Nursing graduated 82 students: 73 from the Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.) program and nine from the Registered Nurse to B.S.N. program.

The majority of Hunt School of Nursing students are local residents hailing from El Paso, and 84% are Hispanic. According to the most recent data available from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, less than 6% of registered nurses in the nation are Hispanic. Hunt School of Nursing graduates will add to the needed group of Hispanic nurses in the U.S. who will diversify the workforce and reduce cultural and language barriers in access to health care.

One such graduate is Socorro High School Health Professions Academy alumni Rene Beltran Barrera, who graduated with a B.S.N. degree and plans on staying in El Paso. Socorro High School is one of the five local schools that partner with the Hunt School of Nursing to provide early-admission programs for students with goals of becoming nurses in the Borderplex.

“Being a nurse in El Paso is important for me because this is my hometown,” he said. “Plus, knowing that El Paso is underserved in terms of health care, I feel like this is my opportunity to make a difference and give back to the community that helped raise me.”

Beltran also is a first-generation college graduate and having his last name printed on a degree has a special significance.

“It means the world to my family and myself being a first-generation graduate,” he said. “Since day one, my parents have always been supportive of my studies. This isn’t just a degree, it’s my parents’ hard work, my parents’ dream and our sacrifice to be successful. Finishing school meant long days of studying and working every day with the hope that this day would come.”

Being a first-generation graduate also means being a role model for one of the most important people in his life: his sister.

“It's not just another degree, it’s our family’s achievement,” Barrera said. At TTUHSC El Paso, Barrera is not alone, in that many of his fellow future health care heroes are first-generation college students.

Students who walked across the stage on Saturday will soon join their colleagues in combating local health disparities and creating improved access to health care by increasing the presence of nurses in the workforce.

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 is facing a nurse shortage of over 3,000 nurses, according to the Texas Center for Nursing Workforce Studies.

Since opening in 2011, more than 1,170 nurses have graduated from the Hunt School of Nursing, with 90% staying in the region. As a result, the number of registered nurses in the county has increased by 45%.

Shante Weeks, a graduate of the Accelerated B.S.N. program, is from New York but fell in love with El Paso and is also planning on staying in the Borderplex to work in the operating room at The Hospitals of Providence – Sierra Campus.

“It's important for me to stay here because since the COVID-19 pandemic hit our community, El Paso has been in need of nurses,” Weeks said. “I love helping patients with their surgery and a path for recovery and healing.”

The class of 2022’s entire nursing school experience has occurred amid the COVID-19 pandemic, preparing students to serve on the front lines in hospitals while making an immediate impact upon entering the health care field.

Weeks is also a first-generation college student, which carries serious responsibility.

“It means a lot to my family because I’m setting an example of what you can do with hard work and a never-give-up attitude,” Weeks said.

About the Hunt School of Nursing

The Hunt School of Nursing features a curriculum for cross-disciplinary collaboration, preparing its students to work in clinical teams alongside physicians.

The school offers R.N. to B.S.N. and Master of Science in Nursing (M.S.N.) degree programs, and the only accelerated program in the region where students can earn a B.S.N. in just 16 months.

The Hunt School of Nursing has partnerships with every hospital in the El Paso community, which includes both 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 from the Hunt School of Nursing are El Paso natives, fulfilling TTUHSC El Paso’s mission to create more educational opportunities for Borderplex residents.

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’s 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 and researchers, and will soon add dentists to its alumni.