Mom first in the family to earn degree, inspires children to pursue their degrees

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- First-generation nursing student Chalyse Piñon, is a mother of four, a dedicated student, and an inspiration.

The mother of four received help from her daughter Sofia while studying for her nursing school tests. Sofia making her mother flashcards they would use in her preparation for tests.

Chalyse Piñon graduated from The Gayle Grieve Hunt School of Nursing at Texas Tech University Health Sciences - El Paso this weekend.

“What was hard was convincing myself that I was smart enough to become a nurse,” she said.

Piñon earned her Bachelors Degree through an accelerated program, which she said takes a lot of her time and dedication, "it’s taking what what normally take two years and it squeezes everything down to 16 months, it’s just a lot of classes that you’re taking.”

That is where daughter Sofia came in, while helping her mother study by creating flashcards and sitting with her quizzing her, the health field started to pique her interest.

“She would ask me like, ‘mom, what is this?’ and ‘Mom, what are you learning about?’ And I would tell her, and she became interested,” said Piñon.

This interest grew and Sofia made the decision to follow in her mother's footsteps.

Sofia's efforts got her accepted into the Health Professions Academy at the Socorro Independent School District.

“I thought it sounded really cool, so I looked it up, and I was like super interested in it, so I told my mom about it, and she told me I should apply for it, and when I got in I was really happy about that,” said Sofia Piñon.

As Chalyse starts her next journey working in critical care of children and babies, Sofia embarks on her own career path that she hope will lead to medical school.

The Hunt School of Nursing students are graduating as Texas Tech University Health Sciences El Paso closes out their 10-year anniversary.

75 students crossed the stage and received their diploma in Saturday's ceremony. Since 2013, the Hunt School of Nursing has graduated 1,347 students.