More Students on Track to Complete Nursing Degrees By Age 20

By Julia Hettiger

UTEP Marketing and Communications

Paris Chacon, 17, is the youngest student enrolled in phase three of the nursing program. A sixth-semester student, she graduated from Mission Early College High School on June 9, 2023.

Thanks to the growing number of early college high schools in El Paso, UTEP’s College of Nursing is now home to more than a dozen young students who are studying to become El Paso’s next generation of nurses.

 Just this spring and summer alone, four nursing students age 20 and younger are graduating. Emma Abarca graduated in May 2023 at the age of 20 while Rebeca Bencomo, Andrea Hernandez and Benjamin Vallejo expect to complete their nursing degrees in August 2023, all at the age of 19. In addition, 12 other students in their last year of the nursing program are age 20 or younger.

Bencomo, who chose nursing after being inspired by her aunt who is also a nurse, said UTEP made the transition from her early college high school to the University easy and has given her the skills to succeed as a future pediatric nurse.

"From the moment that I decided to pursue nursing as a career, I have dedicated all my time to my academics,” Bencomo said. “I made the decision to go to an early college high school, which meant sacrificing what others would describe as the ‘high school experience.’ I feel a great sense of accomplishment knowing that I will be graduating at such a young age. It feels good to see that all my hard work has paid off.”

To obtain their nursing degrees, students must successfully complete three phases: their core curriculum, nursing courses and nursing professional courses. The latter two phases require students to apply and be accepted. Though some students are still in high school when they begin this process, they don’t receive any shortcuts.

“Everybody goes through the same process, so even if they're really young coming out of early college [high school], they still go through that process with everybody else,” said Leslie Ross, lead academic advisor for the College of Nursing. Students have to complete their core curriculum classes with an overall GPA of 3.0 and a 62% or higher on their Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS) exam to move to phase two. For phase three, their GPAs from phase one and phase two are considered, as well as their TEAS results.

The ages of students in the nursing program range from teens to 50s, with the age diversity increasing in recent years.

“The average age in phase three of the program is 24,” said Myrna Anchondo, assistant dean of the College of Nursing. “We actually have a couple of students in their 50s, two students in their 40s and quite a few 18-, 19- and 20-year-olds.”

The youngest student in phase three of the program is Paris Chacon, a 17-year-old and recent high school graduate who is currently a sixth semester nursing student at UTEP. A graduate of Mission Early College High School, Chacon said that attending UTEP while in high school was challenging, but she doesn’t regret it because it is helping her achieve her goal of becoming a certified registered nurse anesthetist.

“When I first started my clinicals, I would joke around saying I lived a secret life, because one day I would be spending time at my high school and the next I would be up at 4:30 in the morning getting ready to start a nine-hour clinical,” Chacon said. “The accommodations and sacrifices that got me here today were well worth it.”

Every student in the nursing program brings a unique experience with them that adds to their education and will guide them in their future careers. For these young students and grads, their youth and dedication shape their experiences in the program.

“They’re very eager,” Ross said. “Being in an early college setting, they’re used to the idea that this [program] is rigorous, and this is what they need to do to get their degrees. They come in knowing that if nursing is the major they’re going to choose, it’s not going to be easy. They accept that challenge, and they go for it.”

To learn more about programs within UTEP’s College of Nursing, visit www.utep.edu/nursing.