Breckenridge Texan

To accomplish her goal of becoming a nurse practitioner, Destiny Adams chose Texas State Technical College in Breckenridge.

Adams, of Cisco, is studying Vocational Nursing with plans to graduate in December. She said having dual credit classes at Cisco High School helped her get a jump-start on the college experience. She is now able to focus on the nursing program.

“Being able to take the dual credit classes in high school helped me get started on college,” she said. “The help of a great support system at school and home was key. It was a lot of hard work, but I was able to get through it.”

Adams said she looked at different nursing schools before deciding that TSTC was the place for her to be. Her decision was based on her positive initial experience with the college, from completing the nursing application to learning that she was enrolled as a student.

“TSTC provides the best help to get any student started,” she said. “Lisa Langford was amazing at helping me make sure all of my paperwork was complete. She stayed on the phone with me for 45 minutes making sure I had everything done correctly. From the beginning, I felt that I was wanted as a student.”

Langford, a senior enrollment coach at TSTC’s Breckenridge campus, said it is her goal to make sure that students feel welcome from the first time they contact her.

“I am blessed to help students fulfill their goals and dreams of getting an education, then transitioning into the workforce for a great-paying job,” she said.

Early on during her first semester, Adams knew that her school choice was correct.

“The teachers are amazing. They feel more like friends because they want us to be successful,” she said. “This is the ideal college experience. I cannot believe how well it has been going.”

Jordyn Martin, a Vocational Nursing instructor at TSTC’s Breckenridge campus, said Adams has the qualities needed to be a successful nurse.

“Destiny is so kind, caring and compassionate with her patients,” Martin said. “She takes the time to get to know patients as a person and help them with their needs. There’s always a genuine connection. She also has the drive to do what it takes to be in nursing school, and I know that will carry over into her future as a nurse. I see a very bright future in nursing for her.”

Adams said her classmates have become a close-knit group. “We want to make sure we help each other out,” she said. “We want to see each person succeed.”

During the first semester, Adams said the classes focused on certified nursing assistant tasks, but now they involve more about the nursing profession. “This semester we are going to be learning about catheters. By December I will be doing a catheter on a real person,” she said. “It now becomes real that I am going to become a nurse.”

Adams is also excited to witness her first live birth. “I am going to be watching the birth of a person,” she said. “To be able to witness that will only bring good feelings for me.”

Adams said experiencing TSTC’s recent Industrial Job Fair was eye-opening. “There were so many businesses in attendance that I was not expecting,” she said. “Many of them that I visited said they would make a job for us. It just shows that once you graduate, you will have endless opportunities.”

TSTC’s Vocational Nursing certificate program is also available at the Harlingen and Sweetwater campuses. Upon completion of the program and passing the National Council Licensure Examination, graduates are classified as licensed vocational nurses (LVNs).

According to onetonline.org, LVN jobs were forecast to increase 17% in Texas between 2020 and 2030. The median annual salary for LVNs in the state is $50,910, the website showed.

TSTC also offers an Associate of Applied Science degree in Nursing at the Harlingen and Sweetwater campuses.

For more information about TSTC, visit tstc.edu.

(Story and photo courtesy of TSTC)