Red Carpet Premier
TTUHSC El Paso’s 10th Anniversary Celebration Features Red Carpet Sneak Preview of “Frontera Dreams: Improving Lives, Empowering Generations”
Students, alumni, faculty and supporters gathered for a sneak preview of “Frontera Dreams: Improving Lives, Empowering Generations,” on the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso campus Thursday, Jan. 12. The red-carpet event was part of TTUHSC El Paso’s continuing celebration of its 10th anniversary as an independent health sciences center here in the El Paso community and within the Texas Tech University System.
The short film follows the 10-year journey of four TTUHSC El Paso students from grade school to graduation in the fields of medicine, nursing, research and dentistry in our Borderplex. It begins with career day, a rite of passage for many grade schoolers, where each shares their aspirations with their teachers and classmates of becoming the next generation of health care providers.
Jesus Guzman, M.D., portrayed as a child by 10-year-old Nico Casillas, wants to be a doctor, while Angela Lopez, played by Keelyn Kerns, has her sights on being a nurse. Anna Ceniceros (Addy Garcia), the daughter of migrant farmworkers, announces her intent to become a dentist, and Joshua Montes (Christian Flores) wants to find a cure for cancer as a medical researcher.
Ten years later, as TTUHSC El Paso students and alumni, Jesus, Angela, Anna and Joshua describe how they realized their “frontera” (frontier) dreams of receiving the most innovative and culturally competent health care education that would allow them to better serve the Borderplex communities in which they lived.
All four are first-generation college graduates whose parents came from Mexico. For each it was a dream come true to receive their education as health care providers on the U.S.-Mexico border.
Angela Lopez graduated from the Hunt School of Nursing at the age of 19, becoming the youngest nursing graduate at the school to date. After graduation, she went on to serve her community as a nurse at El Paso Children’s Hospital and is attending medical school in our sister city of Ciudad Juárez. Like Angela, 87% of students from the Hunt School of Nursing are from the Paso del Norte region. Together, they are addressing a critical health care provider shortage in the area's underserved communities.
“Looking back at my younger self never fails to inspire me,” said Lopez. “Thinking about how much I desired to be where I am today makes me feel empowered. I’d love for others to feel this same inspiration; for them to know that it’s never too late or too early to pursue your dream.”
For Joshua Montes, the opportunity to study health care here in El Paso meant that he could help others close to home. His dreams, however, are far from complete. Joshua wants to attend medical school at the Foster School of Medicine following graduation this spring as a biomedical researcher.
The VIPs walking the red carpet under the swirl of klieg lights Thursday night were led by Richard Lange, M.D., M.B.A., president of TTUHSC El Paso and dean of the Foster School of Medicine. He was followed by the film’s producer and cinematographer, Joe Najera of Barracuda PR. Parents, teachers and fifth graders from Mesita Elementary School joined in the procession.
“I really liked acting [in the film],” said Nico Casillas, “especially because I got to speak Spanish.” Asked if he wanted to be a doctor when he graduated from college, the normally shy fifth grader replied “maybe,” but he’d rather be an engineer.
“That’s not surprising,” remarked Dr. Guzman, whom Casillas plays in the short feature. “When I was Nico’s age, all I knew was that I wanted to work hard like my mother.”
It wasn’t until he attended a Foster School of Medicine white coat ceremony that he knew he wanted to be a doctor.
“Just having the opportunity to attend college as a first-generation student opens up a world of opportunities,” he said.
Dr. Guzman is one of more than 2,100 students who have graduated from TTUHSC El Paso since 2013, going on to rewarding careers in medicine, nursing and research. In 2025, the university will graduate its first cohort of dentists.
“Frontera Dreams” was produced in cooperation with Barracuda PR, El Paso Children’s Hospital and El Paso Independent School District’s Mesita Elementary School.
“Frontera Dreams” will be released on YouTube after March 6.
About Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center 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 a designated Title V Hispanic-Serving Institution, preparing the next generation of health care heroes, 48% of whom identify as Hispanic and are often first-generation 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 celebrates its 10th anniversary as an independent university within the Texas Tech University System. In a decade, the university has graduated over 2,000 doctors, nurses and researchers, and will soon add dentists to its alumni.