Many of our WCU students rely on their partners for support during their education, but alumni couple Scott G. and Viridiana G. took things one step further: they enrolled together!
When they began their nursing programs at WCU-Texas, they both had previous healthcare experience. Scott had spent eight years in the military as a combat medic, while Viridiana was a licensed vocational nurse (LVN), having worked in home health and community clinics. They said that enrolling in school together allowed them to understand what the other was going through during difficult moments. “Because we both experienced this together, we were able to directly support one another.”
However, maintaining a professional persona during school hours was of utmost importance to them and they didn’t allow their relationship to interfere with their classes. “I never wanted to give people a reason to assume there was a discrepancy in academic integrity,” Viridiana explained. Because Viridiana already had her LVN license, she entered the LVN to BSN program while Scott began the BSN program. This meant that they were part of different cohorts and took different classes, helping maintain a professional distance while on campus.
Nevertheless, there was one advantage to going to school together: a built-in study buddy. “We did like to study together and quiz each other, but we are very competitive, and I always wanted to be right,” Viridiana said. “We did have fun and would make up games to study.”
Now, both Viridiana and Scott have graduated and accepted RN positions in emergency care.
“Oddly enough, the most memorable moment in our academic journey at West Coast is the first day we arrived on campus together for a tour,” remembered Viridiana. “It is so surreal to think back on those moments and realize how far we have come. We were stumbling around the administration desk at one moment, and the next moment we are working in the busiest emergency department in the country. Life is funny that way.”
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