(HARLINGEN, Texas) – Long before she began studying at Texas State Technical College, Nancy Roblero understood the meaning of helping others.
Growing up in Los Fresnos, Roblero spent most of her childhood alongside her parents, who operated a free developing center for children learning disabilities in Matamoros, Mexico.
“I saw the compassion my parents had for the families they served,” she said of the missionary work.
That early exposure to patient care led Roblero to enroll in the Vocational Nursing program at TSTC’s Harlingen campus. Her journey was not easy. She was pregnant while completing the program, and graduated with a certification of completion in 2025.
After graduation, Roblero began working part-time as a licensed vocational nurse at Fox Hollow Post Acute in Brownsville.
“I have been in my position for three months,” she said. “I assess patients, review lab results, carry out new physician orders, start IVs and other duties.”
Ivon Castillo, assistant director of nursing at Fox Hollow Post Acute, has seen Roblero’s growth firsthand.
“Nancy’s efforts with patient care have helped patients recover and return home to their families,” Castillo said.
Roblero said TSTC’s instructors inspired her.
“The instructors were incredible mentors,” she said. “The confidence I gained motivated me to enroll in the LVN to RN Transition Nursing program.”
Now, in her first semester of the LVN to RN Transition Nursing program, Roblero is expanding her skills.
“I am doing my clinicals at Valley Regional Medical Center in Brownsville,” she said. “I have a better understanding of what it is like to work as a registered nurse in a hospital. I have shadowed a charge nurse, who has outstanding communication with her patients. I want to follow a similar approach when I educate patients and their families.”
Christina Alvear is one of Roblero’s instructors.
“Nancy does a good job of accepting feedback and provides compassionate care to every patient she serves,” Alvear said. “We ask our students to focus on making patient-centered decisions that prioritize safety and promote positive outcomes.”
TSTC will accept applications for the LVN to RN Transition Nursing program for the fall semester beginning on April 1 and continuing through July 10. For more information on how to register, visit www.tstc.edu/programs/nursing.
TSTC offers an Associate of Applied Science degree in Nursing at its Harlingen and Sweetwater campuses. A Vocational Nursing certificate of completion is offered at the Breckenridge, Harlingen and Sweetwater campuses.
For more information, go to tstc.edu.