After 14 years as a pharmacy technician meticulously counting pills and processing prescriptions, Juan Esparza found himself drawn to the other side of healthcare—where practitioners stand as the last line of defense for patients in their most vulnerable moments.
"Becoming a nurse hadn't been on my radar," Esparza confesses, his eyes reflecting the certainty of someone who's finally found his path. "Until I learned about nurse anesthetists. As time went on, I found myself more interested in everything nurses do, so I decided, 'this is the path I'm choosing.'"
That decision marked a radical departure from his original plan to attend pharmacy school at Anschutz Medical Campus. Instead, he's now graduating with a BS in Nursing from the College of Nursing—joining a profession where split-second decisions can mean the difference between life and death.
A Family Legacy of Healing
For Esparza, nursing runs in the blood. His father has been a nurse for three decades, earning a reputation as what his son calls "an angel in disguise"—a healthcare professional with an uncanny knack for being in the right place at the right moment.
"My dad is always at the right place at the right time, and I've been with him when he's saved people's lives," Esparza says, pride evident in his voice. "It's helped me prepare for anything, and it's a great asset to have. I have a desire to help people, and I think that will go a long way in my nursing career."
The irony isn't lost on Esparza, who for years had emphatically rejected following his father's career path.
"I had always told my dad, 'I'm not doing this, I'm not becoming a nurse,'" he recalls with a laugh. "So he was elated when I told him I was going to nursing school."
Finding His Way Back to the Classroom
Returning to academia in his 30s proved challenging for Esparza, who will be just the second person in his family to earn a college degree, following his sister, who's currently in medical school at Baylor.
"I had a hard time transitioning back to school. School gets harder as you get older," he admits. "But I've enjoyed the journey, and I can pat myself on the back and say, 'You know what, I did this. This is great'."
What draws him most to nursing is the profession's unpredictability and the constant opportunity to learn and adapt to different situations and patients.
"I know as a nurse, each day is going to be different, so there's no way to fully prepare yourself for what's to come," Esparza says. "I asked nurses if they felt prepared out of school, and they said they were prepared as they could be. I'm still learning all sorts of things, and I'll never stop learning."
As he prepares to don his graduation cap, Esparza stands ready to embrace the challenges ahead, carrying forward both his father's legacy and his own determination to make a difference in the lives of others.
