Aspiring Nurse Sees Article Written for Class Assignment Published

© Western New Mexico University

Before beginning toward a nursing degree at Western New Mexico University – Deming, Elizabeth Villegas worked for Deming Public Schools Equity Department. The native of Palomas, Mexico, authored this feature story to demonstrate the impact one organization, and even one specific person, can have on young people’s lives.

“I decided to write about a mentor and a high school student that are part of the Migrant Education Program because I was familiar with the kind of work the Equity Department does,” Villegas told the Deming Headlight, which published this article she wrote. “I used to live just across the border. When I graduated high school, I moved to Ciudad Juarez. I got married and moved to Deming when I was 20 years old in 2019.”

Feeling she had too much time on her hands, Elizabeth enrolled in a CNA course. But pandemic-related delays prevented her from being able to work right away, so she got a job as an educational assistant with Deming Public Schools. It wasn’t for her.

She decided to try her hand at a degree in nursing. “I thought, ‘The pandemic is going to last forever. I better get used to this uncomfortable situation, where sometimes I won’t know the language or certain words,’” she said, forgetting her excuses and returning to school. “They helped me a lot here at WNMU – Deming.”

Elizabeth is finishing the prerequisites for the nursing program now and found herself in adjunct instructor Amanda Schoenberg’s Intro to Media Writing class last fall. “The assignments she created for us pushed us to get out of our comfort zone,” she said.

Setting out to report on one student’s experience educational journey, Elizabeth found another side of the story to tell. “I guess this story represents many other students. Sometimes, they just graduate high school and want to work because they want the money — need the money — and college is not an option for them. In a way, that was my story when I moved here. I was worried about money, not about school. But I let WNMU know I wanted to continue my education, even if it’s going to be a little harder for me.”

In addition to becoming more confident in speaking and writing English as a result of her education, Elizabeth is working as a CNA at Deming’s Mimbres Memorial Hospital. She aims to apply for the WNMU Bachelor of Science in Nursing program next spring.

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