Mega Doctor News
By Selene Rodriguez
At 38, South Texas College student and recent PossAble Dream Adult High School graduate Cruselba Luna is finally pursuing a dream she has carried for years: becoming a registered nurse.
Developed with support from Region One Education Service Center, PossAble Dream is a tuition-free public adult high school serving students ages 18 to 50 who have not completed high school. The school opened last year with STC as a higher education partner, creating opportunities for students like Luna to begin workforce training while earning their high school diploma.
“Having this opportunity is something very meaningful to me,” Luna said. “Becoming a nurse has always been my dream, and now I am finally working toward it.”
Originally from Matehuala, Mexico, Luna spent years away from the classroom after coming to the United States as a child and working as a migrant worker. This summer, she earned her high school diploma through PossAble Dream while simultaneously beginning her journey into healthcare at STC.
Luna is one of 60 PossAble Dream students currently enrolled at STC through a partnership that allows adult learners to gain workforce skills, pursue industry-based certifications and build pathways into college programs and in-demand careers such as phlebotomy, electrocardiography (EKG) and HVAC while completing their high school education.
“We’re changing lives and making an important impact on the community,” said Manuel Sanchez, Region One Education Service Center college and career transition coordinator. “STC has become an important partner in creating these opportunities for our students. Through Continuing Education, they can begin earning industry-based certifications before they even graduate.”
As an STC alumnus, Sanchez said seeing students on campus makes the partnership particularly meaningful to him.
“They get to experience college life, and personally, that’s what I like the most,” he said. “For some of them, it’s been five or eight years since they were last in school. Now they’re back finishing high school, and at the same time, they’re already doing something with college. They can look at what they’ve already accomplished and say, ‘I’ve made it this far. Let me keep going.’”
Now completing the required hours for her phlebotomy training through STC, Luna plans to continue into the college’s Patient Care Technician program, with the ultimate goal of becoming a registered nurse.
“I’ve always dreamed of becoming a nurse because I enjoy helping people who need it,” she said. “I believe you need to have a kind and compassionate heart to care for others. Now that I finally have this opportunity, I want to keep going and accomplish that dream.”
Once Luna earns her phlebotomy credential, she can receive credit toward STC’s Patient Care Technician program, allowing her to build on the training she has already completed and continue toward STC’s Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) program.
“We are grateful to The PossAble Dream Adult High School for asking us to partner with them to provide these educational opportunities to our community,” said STC Dean of Continuing Education and Workforce Development Olivia De La Rosa. “Giving individuals the opportunity to earn an industry-based certification while completing their high school diploma opens so many doors, from gaining employment to continuing a pathway to a certificate or associate degree. We are helping change not only their lives but those of their families.”
For Luna, the opportunity has changed what she believes is possible after years away from school, and she hopes other adults who did not complete their education will be encouraged to take the same first step.
“If I had known about this opportunity and received this type of support earlier, I might have already been working as a nurse,” she said. “But it is never too late. No matter your age, it is never too late to continue your education.”
Information source: STC
