TSC grads, mother-daughter duo find inspiration in each other

In Brownsville, the college experience has come full circle for Texas Southmost College Social Work graduates and mother-daughter duo Erica Esquivel and Abigail Hernandez, respectively.

Esquivel first started her college journey in 2001, the same year Hernandez was born, cutting short Esquivel’s college experience, but fast forward to 2022, Esquivel and Hernandez get to share a college graduation.

Esquivel and Hernandez will earn their associate degree in social work, joining nearly 800 other graduates during today’s TSC’s commencement ceremonies.

“It’s unreal, it’s amazing, it was meant to be,” said Esquivel. “It is my daughter who motivated and gave me the inspiration to return. I’ve wanted to for a long time, I never lost the dream of becoming a college graduate. It’s so exciting to finally be here, and to be here with my daughter, that just makes it extra special.”

The 44-year-old is an entrepreneur and advocate at heart as a hospice care owner, who fights to ensure all her patients are treated fairly and given the best medical attention possible.

Following in Esquivel’s footsteps, Hernandez at 15, began working with her mom, advocating and fighting the same fight – patient care equality.

“Upon enrolling at TSC, I had no idea what I wanted to do, I just know I wanted a college education, I wanted to make my family proud,” said Hernandez. “Reflecting on my life and passions, I came to realize I loved what I was doing this whole time, and that I could do that as a social worker.”

With this realization, the 21-year-old enrolled at TSC, giving college a second chance after already having pursued nursing and finding out it wasn’t the career for her.

“It’s been quite the journey finding myself and my passions, but when I finally did COVID hit and everything changed,” said Hernandez. “It was around that time that I was seriously thinking about quitting and my mom refused to let that happen, so we made it a family affair – both of us making our dreams come true.”

Over the last two years, mother and daughter have motivated and encouraged one another and have taught each other new lessons in technology and in life.

Both have been skeptical at times, Esquivel said because of her age and the advancing technology and Hernandez because remote learning was difficult for her, personally – but working together alongside their instructors and classmates, they were able to overcome their obstacles.

“Ms. (Martha) Warburton was an excellent instructor in laying the foundation of social work, sharing resources, especially when we were fully remote and ensuring that we were keeping up and learning,” said Hernandez. “Her work, along with support from our classmates, helped us all make it through.”

Esquivel agrees that Warburton and her peers were inspirational, but said scheduling family dinners around school, full-time work and study sessions, made the process less daunting.

“My husband and children have been so supportive about my decision to return to school and that has been very special to me,” said Esquivel. “I am the last of my siblings to get a college degree and they made it possible.”

Both women plan on continuing their education next fall at Texas A&M University-Kingsville to pursue a bachelor’s degree in social work.

In addition to Esquivel and Hernandez joining each other on the commencement stage, both will walk down the wedding aisle in the coming weeks when Hernandez marries her fiancé, who is also graduating from TSC.

“It’s such an emotional time for both of us, I’m so proud of my baby,” said Esquivel.

“And I’m super proud of my mom,” said Hernandez.

TSC’s commencement ceremonies will be held today at the college’s Jacob Brown Auditorium at 9:30 a.m., 2:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.