Young El Pasoan balances high school and college to achieve nursing degree from UTEP

Natassia Paloma
·4 min read
10

Graduating from college is an accomplishment at any age, but for 18-year-old Paris Chacon, it was no easy feat — it took determination, tenacity and sacrifice.

The El Paso native walked across the stage and received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from UTEP on May 12.

“I always loved going to school,” Chacon said. “I truly love to learn.”

Chacon simultaneously earned her college degree while in high school. While at Mission Early College High School, Chacon graduated at just 16 with an associate degree from El Paso Community College.

In her junior year of high school, she began taking the prerequisites necessary for UTEP’s nursing program.

“It had its obstacles,” she said. “There were nights when I would study for hours on end. I think the hardest part of it all was time management.”

Paris Chacon, 18, walked across the stage at the Don Haskins Center and received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from UTEP Sunday, May 12.
Paris Chacon, 18, walked across the stage at the Don Haskins Center and received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from UTEP Sunday, May 12.

Maintaining balance in her life helped her succeed, Chacon said. Even while studying for exams and shadowing nurses in clinicals, she was involved in extracurricular activities and never missed out on big events, like prom and homecoming.

She always had the drive to learn since she was young, often having her nose in a book, Chacon said. It was also as a little girl she realized — through a game of make believe — nursing was her calling.

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“I have a little sister, we would always play nurse and patient,” Chacon said. “One day she really did get injured, and I was able to take care of her. That really sparked an interest in me.”

Her parents also instilled a work ethic in Chacon, who is proud of her Lebanese and Mexican roots. Her father was nurse and climbed the ladder in the medical field by immersing himself in his education — something Chacon wants to follow.

Paris Chacon, 18, walked across the stage at the Don Haskins Center and received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from UTEP Sunday, May 12.
Paris Chacon, 18, walked across the stage at the Don Haskins Center and received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from UTEP Sunday, May 12.

The teen is already looking at requirements to become a CRNA, or certified registered nurse anesthetist.

For others looking to take her route, she said the road is difficult, but confidence is key.

“Believe in yourself,” she said. “I struggled with self-doubt; everyone was a little older, so it was intimidating. But follow your dreams, have tenacity, and believe in you – that’s number one.”

2024 high school commencement ceremony schedule, by district:

El Paso Independent School District:

Monday, June 10

  • Jefferson High School/Silva Health Magnet School: 9 a.m., UTEP Don Haskins Center, 151 Glory Road

  • Young Women’s Academy: 11:30 a.m., UTEP Magoffin Auditorium, 151 Glory Road

  • Burges High School: 2 p.m., UTEP Don Haskins Center, 151 Glory Road

  • Franklin High School: 6 p.m., UTEP Don Haskins Center, 151 Glory Road

Tuesday, June 11

  • Andress High School: 9 a.m., UTEP Don Haskins Center, 151 Glory Road

  • Transmountain Early College High School: 11:30 a.m., UTEP Magoffin Auditorium, 675 Circle Drive

  • Bowie High School: 2 p.m., UTEP Don Haskins Center, 151 Glory Road

  • Coronado High School: 6 p.m., UTEP Don Haskins Center, 151 Glory Road

Wednesday, June 12

  • Irvin High School: 9 a.m., UTEP Don Haskins Center, 151 Glory Road

  • Austin High School: 2 p.m. UTEP Don Haskins Center, 151 Glory Road

  • Chapin High School: 6 p.m., UTEP Don Haskins Center, 151 Glory Road

Thursday, June 13

  • College Career Technology Academy: 2 p.m., El Paso High Auditorium, 800 E. Schuster Ave.

  • El Paso High School: 7 p.m., El Paso High Jones Stadium, 1600 N Virginia St.

Socorro Independent School District

Friday, May 31

  • Mission Early College High School: 8 a.m., Don Haskins Center, 151 Glory Road

  • El Dorado High School: 11 a.m., Don Haskins Center, 151 Glory Road

  • Montwood High School: 3 p.m., Don Haskins Center, 151 Glory Road

  • Pebble Hills High School: 7 p.m., Don Haskins Center, 151 Glory Road

Saturday, June 1

  • Socorro High School: 9 a.m., Don Haskins Center, 151 Glory Road

  • Americas High School: 1 p.m., Don Haskins Center, 151 Glory Road

  • Eastlake High School: 5 p.m., Don Haskins Center, 151 Glory Road

Ysleta Independent School District:

Thursday, May 30

  • Young Women’s Leadership Academy: 10 a.m., Plaza Theater, 125 Henry Trost Court

  • Valle Verde Early College High School: 2 p.m., Plaza Theater, 125 Henty Trost Court

Friday, March 31

  • Ysleta High School: 8 p.m., Hutchins Stadium, 8600 Alameda Ave.

Monday, June 3

  • Parkland High School: 9 a.m., Don Haskins Center, 151 Glory Road

  • Del Valle High School: 1:30 p.m., Don Haskins Center, 151 Glory Road

  • Bel Air High School: 6 p.m., Don Haskins Center, 151 Glory Road

Tuesday, June 4

  • Eastwood High School: 9 a.m., Don Haskins Center, 151 Glory Road

  • Riverside High School: 1:30 p.m., Don Haskins Center, 151 Glory Road

  • Hanks High School: 6 p.m., Don Haskins Center, 151 Glory Road

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso teen balances high school, college to get nursing degree