For 16-year-old Ashley Melissa Campos, it seemed impossible to imagine much more than her father’s coma, but seven years later she has graduated in an unexpected field.
The near-fatal brain aneurysm her father suffered was just the beginning of a journey that strengthened her bonds in school bands and inspired her choice to study nursing instead of a career as a music teacher.
“Doctors told us that my father’s diagnosis had a high mortality rate, so every day he was in the intensive care unit I thought he was going to die,” Campos said. “It was at that time that I began to admire nurses and see how compassionate they were. They cared not only for my father, but for all of us. It felt like someone saw me and that I wasn’t just showing pity.”
Hugo Campos and his eldest daughter, Ashley Melissa Campos, spend a moment in his office during a visit a day prior to her graduation from UTEP’s nursing school.
On Saturday, Dec. 14, Campos joined a total of 2,806 other UTEP students graduating this fall from the colleges of nursing, science, business, pharmacy, liberal arts, education and engineering at the El Paso Convention Center.
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Campos: ‘I had to give something back to my community’
The nearly three months her father spent under constant surveillance at Del Sol Medical Center changed the lifelong East Side resident. Her time as a drum major at Valley View Middle School gave her a vital support system while her mother would be by her father’s side.
It was a fateful moment during a school trip to San Antonio when Campos received an anxious call from her mother that her father was feeling ill again. Another likely spell in hospital led to another bout of worry and sleepless nights.
“I woke up in the middle of the night and prayed for God to take care of my (father),” Campos said. “If he did, I promised to pay it back and become a nurse and do whatever God brought my way. I prayed for God to choose me as his instrument. It is now my duty to be someone’s strength in difficult times.”
Ashley Melissa Campos stops by to see her father, Hugo Campos, at his office. Ashley decided to go into healthcare after her father survived from a medical condition.
When he was discharged from the hospital, he made a full recovery.
The range of emotions from preparing for the death of a parent to a clean bill of health would leave anyone reeling.
“I’m blessed that my dad is still here, and I don’t know how that happened,” Campos said. “That made me feel like I had to give back to my community. Like the nurses were there for me, I want to be there for them. I started my program at UTEP and everything just felt right. I feel like this meant was about to happen.”
Diving into campus life was an opportunity to continue her love of music as part of the UTEP Marching Band from 2020 to 2024. Playing in multiple bands was the perfect opportunity to showcase her expertise in flute, piccolo and percussion to continue.
“Getting my degree wasn’t easy and there were many sleepless nights where I thought I wouldn’t make it, but I’m here. I truly believe that if I could do it, anyone could. If you have the passion for If you do it and you know why you are doing it, anyone can do it,” Campos said.
Yet Campos is not alone in her passion for healthcare.
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Busy starting season at UTEP
There will be 196 fall and summer graduates from the College of Health Sciences and 358 fall and summer graduates from the College of Nursing. That represents an undergraduate class of 128 students, the second-largest cohort in the history of the individual university.
The college is graduating the largest number of psychiatric mental health and Master of Science in Nursing graduates in its history.
There are 352 fall and summer graduates from the College of Science and nine fall and summer graduates from the School of Pharmacy.
Like many of those who crossed the graduation stage Saturday, Campos, 23, is already seeking a master’s degree in health care administration.
“I want to advocate from the perspective of nurses in business matters because a hospital is a business,” Campos said. “Business decisions without that healthcare experience sometimes don’t make sense for those who work in hospitals. I want to work as an advocate for the nurses and staff and open doors into the business arena.”
UTEP will also expand its share of future business leaders, with 383 graduates in the fall and summer, with 36 students forming the first cohort of graduates from the Online MBA program, which launched in fall 2023.
Ashley Melissa Campos says goodbye to her father, Hugo Campos, at his office. Ashley decided to go into healthcare after her father survived from a medical condition.
They are joined by 819 fall and summer graduates from the College of Liberal Arts, 227 fall and summer graduates from the College of Education and 463 fall and summer graduates from the College of Engineering.
About 40% of summer and fall 2024 graduates will be first-generation college students, according to data cited by the university. This fall, 98 students will walk with distinction. That’s 37% achieving academic excellence in the curriculum.
Amid the stress of holding down a job, an extended commitment to a marching band and the pressure of a demanding nursing program, Campos has sage advice for the teen she used to face life’s tough twists and turns.
“I would tell her to go ahead and give her a big hug,” Campos said. “She doesn’t know what she’s getting into and it’s going to be a very stressful few years. Take it all in and take your time and she’ll be fine. It’ll be over in the blink of an eye.”
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This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: 2024 UTEP fall graduate used a family crisis to discover a new career
