Estrella Carretero fiddled with the graduation stole in her hands while she waited for her name to be called.
Carretero was one of almost 30 nursing school graduates honored earlier this month by UNT Health Fort Worth. She and her classmates are the to graduate from the UNT Health鈥檚 College of Nursing program.
鈥淚鈥檓 excited to step into the field and make a difference,鈥� she said.
UNT Health started its nursing program back in 2023 to fill gaps in the healthcare workforce. State officials said more than 40 healthcare occupations are facing workforce shortages in Texas 鈥� with nursing having the highest demand.
By 2032, there will be a deficit of almost 60,000 nurses, based on projections from the .
Carretero said it鈥檚 important to address the growing need for nurses because they play a critical role in patient care throughout the healthcare system.
鈥淲e are the people that are at the bedside the most with the patients,鈥� Carretero said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 great to see that 29 of us are graduating and will address some part of the shortage.鈥�
Carretero walked across the stage in the middle of a lecture hall on the UNT Fort Worth Campus. Her mentor took the fabric sash in her hands and placed it over Carretero's shoulders before pulling her into a tight hug with whispered congratulations.
As Carretero walked back to her seat, she straightened out the small pin on the stole. The pin represents her transition from being a student into being a professional nurse.
She said she鈥檚 honored to be part of UNT Health first pinning ceremony.
After returning to her seat, Carretero wore a bright smile before her focus shifted to one of the other graduates 鈥� Alberthy Carretero, Estrella鈥檚 older brother.
A personal mission
Estrella said growing up she watched her parents struggle to understand what was happening during medical appointments because of language barriers. It鈥檚 why she wanted to go into healthcare.
鈥淚 want to be part of addressing those language disparities in healthcare and being able to make a family feel seen and comfortable,鈥� she said, 鈥渁nd not just have an interpreter speaking to them but be able to make them feel good in a time where it may be their worst time that they're experiencing.鈥�
Estrella isn鈥檛 trying to address the issue on her own, though.
Alberthy said addressing the healthcare needs of North Texas鈥� growing Spanish-speaking population is one of his biggest drivers.
鈥淲ith all my patients, I see myself and my family,鈥� Alberthy said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 scary鈥eing in a place where others don鈥檛 speak the same language as you, where miscommunications can lead to death, things like that.鈥�
In October, both Carretero siblings will start their new jobs at Cook Children鈥檚 Hospital in Fort Worth 鈥� serving the community they grew up in.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e just really gritty and inspiring students,鈥� said Sandy Manoushagian, who works at Cook Children鈥檚.
She was an instructor and mentor to both siblings while they were in the program. She said she can鈥檛 think of any better shoulders for future UNT nursing students to stand on.
鈥淎nytime you step into something new鈥here is a lot of pressure,鈥� Manoushagian said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of expectation, and these two in particular just rose to that challenge.鈥�
A family connection
Part of what prepared Estrella and Alberthy for the pressure of the program was the family history that led them to pursue nursing.
While Estrella always knew she wanted to work in healthcare, she said she wouldn鈥檛 have completed this program without her parents.
鈥淐oming from a Hispanic background and immigrant parents 鈥� my dad鈥檚 been working since he was 12 years old,鈥� Estrella said. 鈥淗e used to pick crops and now he does roofing, so to see him come home drenched in sweat, and then my mom, she cleans houses. Just seeing how they once left their homeland to come here and give us a better opportunity, and now they鈥檙e seeing the fruit of the labor. I think that鈥檚 beautiful.鈥�
Unlike his sister, Alberthy hadn鈥檛 planned on a career in healthcare. Growing up, he wanted to be an aerospace engineer so he could work on the jets he saw near the Lockheed Martin base.
But in 2016, their oldest sister, Brisa Carretero, died in a car accident 鈥� just a few months before she was set to start nursing school.
鈥淭hat left me with a lot of emotions and grief and sadness that I wanted to turn into something good,鈥� Alberthy said.
Almost exactly a decade later, he and Estrella completed the degree Brisa didn鈥檛 have the chance to start.
Estrella said part of what made nursing school so special for her was getting to complete the program alongside her brother. She said they were able to push each other to study and improve because they both knew they wanted to go further in their careers.
鈥淗e would always be clapping for me,鈥� Estrella said. 鈥淚 never noticed who wasn鈥檛 clapping for me because he鈥檚 always been such a strong shoulder for me to lean on鈥e would be there for me and likewise I would be that for him.鈥�
Alberthy wiped away tears as he said he was happy to cheer her on.
鈥淵ou get to choose who you marry, you know, your partner, this and that,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut you don鈥檛 get to choose to be a big brother鈥t鈥檚 just natural. It鈥檚 an instinct to want to see the people that you grew up with become professional and grow and learn and love and laugh and all that stuff.鈥�
Part of something bigger
Rebecca Burns, associate dean of undergraduate nursing at UNT Health鈥檚 College of Nursing, was emotional thinking about how much the first class has grown and changed since they started back in 2023.
鈥淭hey are holding themselves different,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey have a confidence that is just unmatched鈥hese are not the same kids I knew just a few terms ago.鈥�
Burns was one of the people involved in developing UNT鈥檚 nursing program. In addition to addressing workforce shortages, she said one of the goals of the program was to train higher-skilled nurses.
鈥淭hey have to be competent before they leave here,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd boy, are we seeing the difference鈥Our clinical partners] just grabbed our students up and they were placed in typically very hard new graduate positions to get, like in ICUs and NICUs and things like that.鈥�
Sandy Manoushagian, Alberthy and Estrella鈥檚 mentor and instructor, said the siblings and their classmates are the face of the next generation of nurses, and they are 鈥渦p to the task.鈥�
鈥淭hese are the change agents,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey are going to make tremendous contributions. Their impact is going to be monumental and I鈥檓 just so humbled and excited that I get to be on the sidelines.鈥�
She said Alberthy and Estrella don鈥檛 take the responsibilities they carry as first-generation college students, nurses and role models lightly.
Alberthy said it鈥檚 a privilege to be a nurse.
鈥淚 hope that everyone that does want to go into nursing realizes that this is very serious, but at the same time very rewarding,鈥� he said.
Abigail Ruhman is 四虎影院鈥檚 health reporter. Got a tip? Email Abigail at aruhman@kera.org.
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