Mega Doctor News
By Selene Rodriguez
South Texas College Nursing Faculty Member Melinda Tellez was recently honored with the Excellence Award by the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) for inspiring and motivating students by sharing her journey and showing them how resilience can turn setbacks into success.
She understands firsthand the unique challenges nursing students face, having once struggled herself to achieve her dream of attending STC and becoming a nurse. After failing to be accepted into the competitive program more than once, she never gave up, and now has more than a decade of experience and is inspiring many.
“I was never the smartest or the fastest, but look at where I am now, teaching the very same program I once struggled to get into. I’m here because I wanted it more than anything else,” she said. “Looking back, the struggle was a gift. It taught me that it’s not just about getting in. It’s about persevering through the toughest moments which shaped me into a more resilient, determined nurse.”
A McAllen native, the 38-year-old is deeply passionate about the impact nursing can have on the community, both by caring for patients and by contributing to the overall well-being of the region. Growing up, she was inspired to pursue the profession after the tragic events of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
“I always sort of knew I wanted to care for people, but when Katrina happened and I saw the horrific scenes of people needing immediate help, I thought to myself, ‘That’s what I want to do – know how to help people and save lives on the spot. What better profession than that,’” she shared. “And, growing up in McAllen, I always knew STC would be my home. But I made the mistake of not taking my grades seriously.”
Upon graduating from Nikki Rowe High School in 2004, Tellez took introductory classes at STC, but failed to enter the Associate Degree in Nursing program and opted to work as a medical assistant. During this time, she recalls the day a janitor inspired her to stop putting herself down and go after her goals.
“I was heartbroken. I wanted to be at STC so badly, but I never knew how competitive the nursing program was, and my grades weren’t good enough,” she said. “It’s hard for a reason, you’re dealing with people’s lives. Even as a medical assistant, I was overwhelmed because there was so much to learn. But one day, a kind janitor told me, ‘If they can do it, the nurses, you can do it too.’ And to this day, that’s what I tell my students, ‘If I could do it, you can too.’”
In her pursuit of becoming a nurse, Tellez moved to attend Laredo Community College in 2009. However, the connections she had made at STC helped her return home as a transfer student, where she ultimately graduated from the nursing program in 2012.
She has worked in various roles, including the intensive care unit (ICU), medical-surgical, cardiac units, outpatient and inpatient case management and pediatrics, even working in San Antonio during the pandemic, gaining impactful experiences as a nurse.
She later went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, while working full-time.
“As fulfilling as nursing and connecting with patients is, education was always in the back of my mind,” she said. “Originally, I wanted to be a teacher until retirement, but then I realized, why wait? Why not do what I love right now?”
With that goal in mind, she earned a Master of Science in Nursing with an education track in 2019, and started a position as a clinical instructor at a local hospital.
Discovering her passion for teaching and realizing that education was her true path, she found herself reaching out to her alma mater once again, seeking an opportunity.
She started teaching at STC in spring of 2023.
“I’m so proud to be part of STC’s nursing program. This program does amazing things for our region. It’s a career that changes lives, lifts people out of poverty, people like me, where education wasn’t a priority,” she said. “And it empowers you to realize you can do anything. When you’re standing in front of a patient who’s is in cardiac arrest or their medication isn’t working, knowing what to do, that’s what this program prepares you for. This program changes you in the best way possible.”
Eager to shape the next generation of skilled nurses, Tellez is confident that her place is at STC, where she can help empower her students to believe that anything is possible.
“We are demonstrating repeatedly that our graduates are the best, ready to care for the sick, from day one. We’re doing amazing things and I take great pride on being an STC graduate and faculty member,” she said. “Sometimes I reflect on how everything I’ve ever wanted, I have now. It took hard work, but I did it, thanks to STC.”
