![\"Sandy](\"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/TSTC-VN-Grad-Sandy-Leal.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nThat all changed, however, when she was accepted into the Vocational Nursing program.<\/p>\n
\u201cI never thought I would get in,\u201d she said. \u201cSo I never thought about what I would do if I did.\u201d<\/p>\n
The woman who moved from Matamoros, Mexico to the U.S. at 15 years old with her family said she often used her language barrier, age and financial situation as an excuse.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I found out I was accepted, I was surprised, excited, happy and nervous,\u201d she said. \u201cI never thought in a million years that this girl from Mexico could accomplish this dream. How was I going to support myself and daughter while in school?\u201d<\/p>\n
Leal also knew she would have to quit her job to make it through the rigorous program, and she leaned on student loans to survive.<\/p>\n
Her now 16-year-old daughter and Leal spent a lot of time at the Brownsville Public Library because Leal didn\u2019t have a laptop to do homework at home.<\/p>\n
\u201cSchool was a huge sacrifice, not only for me, but for my daughter as well,\u201d she said. \u201cEven though I knew it would all be worth it in the end, there were still times that I cried myself to sleep, felt like a failure and felt like quitting.\u201d<\/p>\n
A couple of semesters into the program, Leal\u2019s mother had a heart attack and passed away. Leal described her as her best friend, support system and backbone of the family.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlthough my instructors were very understanding and empathetic, I had no time to grieve her,\u201d Leal said. \u201cI was smiling on the outside, but crying on the inside. I literally buried her and had to be at a mandatory community service project the next day.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leal said studying in class about what killed her mother was also very difficult.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had to pick myself up and keep going. But the beautiful thing is that I know she\u2019s with me,\u201d she said with a smile.<\/p>\n
And she knows she will be with her Friday night at commencement.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was her dream to watch me graduate,\u201d she said. \u201cI dedicate this moment and night to her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leal will begin working in the coming days at Retama Manor Nursing Center as a graduate nurse and transition into a vocational nursing position upon passing her National Council Licensure Examination.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis program and its faculty made me a stronger person,\u201d Leal said. \u201cI want to thank them for that, thank my family for their support and especially my daughter for her understanding and always standing by my side.\u201d<\/p>\n
TSTC Vocational Nursing program director Heather Sauceda said she is proud of everything Leal has overcome and of her achievements.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe has a passion for nursing. She has a heart for the profession,\u201d said Sauceda. \u201cThis is what has gotten her through, and I know she will be a great asset to the profession, will be a great patient advocate and will bring smiles to those she cares for.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leal hopes to work for the next year, save money and be able to do special things for her daughter before returning to TSTC to earn her associate degree as a registered nurse.<\/p>\n
TSTC\u2019s commencement ceremonies will be held tonight at the Harlingen Municipal Auditorium at 4 and 7 p.m.<\/p>\n
For more information on Vocational Nursing or Registered Nursing at TSTC, visit tstc.edu\/programs\/Nursing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
(HARLINGEN) – For Sandy Leal, curveballs in life have become obstacles to overcome, not insurmountable roadblocks. She has not let anything stop her from fulfilling her dream of becoming a nurse. The year has not been easy, but tonight Leal will join more than 100 graduates at Texas State Technical College\u2019s Fall 2018 commencement ceremonies […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3696","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-harlingen"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3696","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3696"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3696\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3698,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3696\/revisions\/3698"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3696"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3696"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3696"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}