Nursing Graduate Persevered Through Family Tragedy in 20-Year Quest to Earn a College Degree

A fatal bus crash in her native Ecuador set Silvia Tenezaca on her current career path

Silvia Tenezaca was inspired to pursue a career in nursing more than a decade ago when she returned to her native Ecuador to care for her sister and infant niece who were injured in a bus accident that claimed the lives of her mother and other family members.

Her time was spent planning funerals, being a caregiver for her injured family members and also her son, who had been living in Ecuador with her mother while Tenezaca worked in New Jersey and sent money back to support her family.

She had no experience caring for someone with severe injuries, but the incredibly challenging time set her on a new direction in life.

“I saw how love and compassion can help a person to recover,” said Tenezaca, who graduates this month with a bachelor of science degree from Rutgers School of Nursing-Camden.

Tenezaca was 21 when she first came to the United States in 2002 to escape poverty and a dearth of jobs in Ecuador. She settled with family members in Brooklyn and worked at a dry cleaning business where she improved her language skills by watching television and speaking to people at her job. 

 “My desire to attend college was stronger than any language barriers,” says Tenezaca, who lives in Sickersville in Camden County.

After moving to southern New Jersey, Tenezaca was ready to attend college, but was working to pay off a loan she took to cover her costs to come to the United States. Then in 2010, the bus crash that killed 38 people, including her mother, sister and brother-in-law, forced her to put her college plans on hold and return to her homeland.

Over the next two years, Tenezaca nursed her sister back to health and cared for her niece. She enrolled in a nursing program in Ecuador to pursue her newfound career path, but after a year her plans to remain in the country changed. Her second son, born in New Jersey and living with his father, came to visit and fell ill.

“Again, my life was not complete,” says Tenezaca who returned to Sicklerville in 2012 with her oldest son who as 13 at the time. “I needed to come back to New Jersey.”

Tenezaca returned deep in debt after paying for funeral expenses in Ecuador, health care for her family, and living expenses. Working full time to pay off her credit cards and raise her sons, Tenezaca continued preparing for college.

She took English as a second language classes to improve her reading and writing skills, passed the General Educational Development (GED) high school equivalency test, and graduated from Camden County College before enrolling at Rutgers-Camden.

She then signed up for a study abroad course, “Population Health in Cuba,” that accelerated Tenezaca’s college career.  During a seven-day trip to Cuba, she shared her life story with course leader Nancy Pontes, an assistant professor of nursing who quickly became a mentor throughout Tenezaca’s educational journey.

When Tenezaca considered dropping out of the program because of her responsibilities at home, work, and school, Pontes encouraged her to continue pursuing her dream. She graduates this month as her oldest son completes his degree from Rowan University, and her second son graduates from Camden County Technical School and prepares to attend Rutgers‒New Brunswick in the fall.

“Silvia has a tenacity that is remarkable,” says Pontes. “Her tenacity is balanced with her gentle spirit.”

Tenezaca was in the first group of students to complete Rutgers–Camden’s community interpreter course to provide Spanish-language translation services to South Jersey residents who need such services to fill out medical forms, translate doctor’s instructions, and read medicine labels.

She also participated at the LEAP Academy University Charter School translating for young patients and their parents in the Camden school’s health center.

“I love helping the patients,” says Tenezaca. “I identify with them. I know how hard it is as an adult to learn a new language.”

Tenezaca, who held a full-time job as a home health aide overnight while her family slept and now works at as critical care technician at Cooper University Hospital in Camden, hopes to specialize in pediatrics or labor delivery in her nursing career.

“I have compassion for people because of what I have experienced,’’ says Tenezaca. “I totally understand when people are going through an illness and dealing with the death of a family member.