Work ethic and attitude, keys to success for Midland College studentAugust 30, 2022

“My mother always said to be on time and respect other people’s time,” Midland College student Vanessa Mendoza Vázquez said.  “I’ve made that a habit for myself.”

English Professor Dr. William Christopher Brown confirmed her habit for punctuality.

“Vanessa has a great work ethic and attitude,” he said.  “She was always one of the first people to arrive to class every day.”

Vázquez grew up in Juárez, Mexico, and graduated from high school in Juárez in 2020—in the midst of the COVID shutdown.  As was the case for the class of 2020 throughout the world, she did not have a high school graduation ceremony.  In the fall of 2020, she started taking classes at the Universidad de Durango in Juárez majoring in medicine.

“My father was working in Midland in the oilfield, and we finally were able to join him last summer.” Vázquez explained.  “Even though I had started college in Mexico, I knew that I would have better opportunities for a career in healthcare in the United States, so my mother, younger sister and I moved to Midland.”

Nineteen-year-old Vanessa is the middle child in her family.  This past May, her older sister Ashley Paola graduated from medical school in Mexico and is now doing a medical internship at Hospital General de Ciudad Juárez.   Her younger sister, 15-year-old Alexandra, attends Midland High School.  When Vanessa and Alexandra moved to Midland last summer, it was their first time in the United States.

“I had studied English for two years in high school in Mexico, but I had never really spoken it in conversation or studied in English,” Vázquez said.  “I started taking college classes last fall, and I told myself, ‘it’s time to sink or swim.’  One of my first Midland College courses was Public Speaking.  Of course, the class was taught in English, and we had to give speeches in English.  I just made up my mind that I was going to do this and do it well.  I have to think about what to say and how to write, and have to review and review constantly, But I’m proud to say that I’m making good grades, and have pretty much mastered the English language on my own.”

Vázquez is currently enrolled at Midland College as a full-time student and taking prerequisites to enter the Associate Degree Nursing program so that she can train to become a registered nurse.  

“I really like how the professors teach classes at Midland College,” Vázquez said.  “For example, I had taken Anatomy in college in Juárez, but because of COVID, it was an online course.  It is so much better getting to take the class in person with the hands-on lab component.  It’s also been a great opportunity for me to practice my English.  I knew anatomy in Spanish, but I’ve had to learn anatomy in English.  I took the class during the first summer session, so it was fast-paced.  We had to cover the same material in about 5 weeks that is normally covered in 16 weeks during a regular fall or spring semester.  I enjoyed it, and it helped to reinforce that I have made the correct decision in choosing nursing as a profession.”

Vázquez said that besides Anatomy, her other favorite Midland College classes have been Writing & Composition and Music Appreciation.  (She said that she enjoys all kinds of good music.)  In addition to her college studies, Vázquez also works approximately 24 hours weekly as a personal shopper at HEB.  She works 2:00-9:00 p.m. five days each week.

“Even though my life is busy, I like living in Midland.” she said.  “It’s very peaceful, especially compared to Juárez, which is a very noisy big city.  Juárez is also in the desert; Midland is much greener and has more trees.  People laugh when I say how green Midland is, but I think it really is a pretty city.”

In her spare time, Vázquez enjoys playing volleyball, swimming and cooking, especially desserts.