When life threw Luis Munoz a curveball during high school, he didn’t step back—he
stepped in.
Luis’s journey to becoming a Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) didn’t follow a straight
line, but rather one paved with persistence, patience, and heart. His interest in
healthcare began early, enrolling in a Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) course while
still in high school. But then came COVID-19—and with it, a sudden halt to clinicals
and the end of the certification dream before it even started.
Instead of letting the setback define his future, Luis looked for a new path forward.
That summer, he applied to be a nurse assistant at the local hospital in Pecos. “I
wanted to find out if nursing was really what I wanted to do,” Luis says. It didn’t
take long to find the answer. Caring for patients came naturally to him, and the experience
only deepened his passion. He continued working at the hospital for the next year,
all while knocking out prerequisite courses for Odessa College’s nursing program.
But the journey had its share of hurdles. When Luis sat for the Test of Essential
Academic Skills (TEAS), he passed—but didn’t score quite high enough in the reading
section to qualify for the RN track. Still, he had done well enough to get into the
LVN program. Unfortunately, the application deadline had already passed.
Rather than wait idly, Luis asked the question that would take his path in another
meaningful direction: “What else is there in the medical field that I could get into?”
Phlebotomy was the answer. And by coincidence—or perhaps fate—Odessa College was offering
its phlebotomy class in Pecos for the first time. Luis enrolled, completed the 6-month
program, and passed the licensing exam. But his start in the field was rocky. He faced
indifference and a lack of support from co-workers, especially when he struggled to
draw blood without causing discomfort. It could have been another point to turn away,
but Luis did what he always had—he persevered.
“I didn’t want to hurt my patients,” Luis says. So he practiced. He studied. He taught
himself. Before long, he became the go-to phlebotomist—whether it was a newborn or
a 105-year-old patient, the hospital called on Luis when precision and compassion
mattered most.
In August 2023, Luis finally began his LVN coursework at Odessa College. But just
two months in, life threw another blow. Family struggles and the loss of a loved one
sent him into what he describes as a downward spiral. “I couldn’t concentrate, I couldn’t
study,” he recalls. “I talked to my instructors—they encouraged me to stay—but I decided
to drop out.”
Within a month, he realized something powerful: leaving had been a mistake. Working
in the oilfield gave him the space to reflect, and the clarity to see what truly mattered.
“That helped me know completely that what I really wanted was to be a nurse,” Luis
says.
One day, while out shopping, he ran into one of his former nursing instructors. She
told him that the faculty had seen so much potential in him—and that he still had
a place in the program if he wanted it.
“I really accepted her belief in me,” Luis says. “And that changed everything.”
He reapplied, was accepted, and returned with more determination than ever. Now, he’s
completing the LVN program and already looking ahead.
“Next, I want to apply to the RN program,” he says. “What’s important is that I didn’t
give up on myself. Each time I fell, I got back up. I’ve learned so much about myself.
This is what I want to do—be a nurse. It’s who I am.”
Luis Munoz is not just an Odessa College graduate—he’s a symbol of resilience, a model
of perseverance, and a reminder that the journey to your calling may not be easy,
but it’s always worth it.