Growing Our Care
Homegrown Healers: Hunt School of Nursing Graduates Fill Region's Nurse Shortage
Newest Texas Tech Health El Paso bilingual graduates begin their careers early, closing region’s workforce gap with high school pathway programs
When Zoe Rosales walked across the stage last Friday at Starlight Event Center, she didn’t just receive a diploma. At only 19 years old, this Socorro High School Class of 2024 graduate is now an alumna of Hunt School of Nursing’s Class of 2025 and already a registered nurse, ready to treat patients in the West Texas community where she grew up.
Texas Tech Health El Paso celebrated the Hunt School of Nursing's fall 2025 commencement on Dec. 19, recognizing the region's upcoming bilingual and bicultural health care professionals. These graduates are directly tackling the nurse shortage that once left El Paso County well below the national average.
By moving directly from a high school-to-college pipeline into nursing, these students also conserve limited financial aid eligibility that many nontraditional students may exhaust after exploring other degrees, switching career paths, or taking extended pauses before finding their calling in nursing.
Since the school’s founding in 2011, the institution has elevated the registered nurse workforce by 45%, with over 1,300 graduates serving communities across West Texas and southern New Mexico. Approximately 90% of those graduates remain in our Borderplex to practice, anchoring their careers in the communities where they grew up and studied.
Along with Rosales, three of her fellow Socorro High School peers in this year's cohort earned their Bachelor of Science in Nursing at ages 19 and 20, having completed high school just months before starting nursing classes in 2024. These scholars demonstrate how early exposure to nursing careers can transform workforce development in regions designated as federally recognized Health Professional Shortage Areas.
Socorro Independent School District’s Health Professions Academy at Socorro High School showed how a long-standing neighborhood program can change the trajectory of an entire family, and in turn, the region’s health care workforce. Sixteen months ago, four of its graduates — Yanel Estrada, Zoe Rosales, Dalia Espinoza and Elizabeth Duran — crossed the graduation stage with both a high school diploma and an associate degree in hand, credentials that became their ticket to the Hunt School of Nursing.
Programs like this do more than accelerate graduation dates. They reduce the stop-and-start pattern that can delay completion for nontraditional students and stretch scarce financial aid across longer timelines, while simultaneously producing job-ready nurses earlier in their adult lives.
Now, barely two years out of high school, they are ready to step into the health care workforce as Bachelor of Science in Nursing graduates. Entering the profession earlier means they can help fill critical nursing vacancies sooner, strengthening bedside capacity in El Paso and our Borderplex.
"These students are stepping into professional roles at an age when many are just starting college,” said Jene Hurlbut, Ph.D., R.N., CNE, interim dean of the nursing school. “Their maturity and dedication to El Paso is unprecedented. Our students understand that nursing isn't just a career—it's a calling rooted in our community. They see themselves reflected in the patients they serve, they speak the languages that matter here, and they're committed to staying and building a stronger health care future for our Borderplex.”
A Pathway Built on Cultural Competence
The health care landscape in our Borderplex demands professionals who standard nursing programs elsewhere can’t always provide: those who understand the unique health needs of our region, speak Spanish fluently, and bring deep cultural knowledge to patient care. With 87% of Hunt School of Nursing students calling El Paso their hometown, many are first-generation college students. This demographic composition reflects the communities they serve and directly strengthens health care access for El Pasoans most in need.
Cultural competence in nursing holds significant importance. Health disparities in the area are connected not only to access but also to trust, communication, and providers who mirror the patients they serve. When nurses understand the lived experiences of their communities — including family structures, cultural values, and specific health challenges faced by border regions — outcomes improve. Patient satisfaction increases. Management of chronic diseases becomes more effective. Conversations about preventive care become more impactful.
The Hunt School of Nursing has built this cultural competence into every program design, from classroom instruction to clinical placements to mentorship within the pathway program itself. For El Pasoans seeking health care, this means growing access to nurses who don't just speak their language but understand their world.
“For me, I wanted to be a paramedic,” said Rosales. “When I heard that the nursing pathway was opening, I just went for it, and I ended up falling in love with nursing.”
“I’m the first one to be in the medical field, so it’s a very big honor for me,” said fellow Socorro alumna Yadel Estrada. “I began my career in an internship at El Paso Children’s Hospital, so I tend to stay in El Paso for the foreseeable future. Being fluent in Spanish will help me improve patient care.”
Why This Matters for El Paso
The commencement was both a celebration and a reminder of what workforce development can accomplish when it's designed to meet regional needs. Each graduate who stepped across the stage represents a life-changing decision to enter a demanding profession and a commitment to remain in our community to practice it. That choice has consequences not just for individual lives but for the health of our entire region.
For our Borderplex, this is workforce development that directly addresses health care access. It’s students becoming caregivers. It’s the future of community health care being built, one graduate at a time, right here in El Paso.
About Texas Tech Health El Paso
Texas Tech Health El Paso serves 108 counties in West Texas and is dedicated to preparing the next generation of health care heroes. Established as an independent university in 2013, Texas Tech Health El Paso is a uniquely innovative destination for medical, nursing, biomedical sciences and dental education.
Focusing on excellence in health care education, research, and clinical service, Texas Tech Health El Paso has graduated over 2,600 professionals over the past decade. For more information, visit ttuhscepimpact.org.