Janelle and Jensine Logrono didn’t plan to be on track to graduate with baccalaureate degrees when they first started taking Collin College dual credit classes at Centennial High School in Frisco. However, they are both looking forward to walking across the commencement stage.
According to Janelle, who earned an Associate Degree in Nursing from Collin College in 2020 and is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), pursuing bachelor’s degrees brought the sisters closer together.
“I look up to my sister even though she is younger,” Janelle said. “Jensine is a trailblazer who supports women and people of different cultures.”
Jensine, who earned a Collin College Associate of Applied Science degree in Cybersecurity in 2018 and is pursuing a Bachelor of Applied Technology in Cybersecurity (BAT), admires her sister’s caring nature.
“When I see how open Janelle is with people and how they are so receptive to her, it amazes me,” she said. “I try to emulate her openness. She’s in nursing school and working at a hospital, and I always had a full-time job, so we’ve seen each other struggle and encouraged each other.”
Earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Growing up, Janelle was enamored with the medical field. Her mother was an ICU nurse, and she enjoyed watching medical TV shows. She became a Certified Nursing Assistant in high school, and then one of her patients died.
“It was super emotional empathizing with the family,” Janelle said. “I was 17 years old, and it scared me. I switched careers and earned a degree in fashion marketing, but I still had a desire to serve and worked part time as a patient navigator at a community urgent care facility.”
Years later, the siren call of the medical field beckoned this single mother when her youngest son was diagnosed with Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) at the same time her oldest son developed pneumonia.
“I spent five days in the pediatric ICU and ER. The nurse who took care of my son reignited my desire to go back into health care full time. She kept the lines of communication open and explained procedures. I began to feel like this was something I could do for others because I had been on the other side as a patient’s mother. I was starting to understand my purpose, and I knew everything would be OK.”
From her experience in the hospital to her nursing classes at Collin College, Janelle received the assistance she needed. Collin College’s RN-to-BSN program director, Dr. Betty Veasy, said the college’s faculty and staff fully support the students.
“We meet the academic needs of working RN learners and maximize their strengths,” said Dr. Veasy. “Our local area has seen several expansions in hospitals, from private emergency treatment rooms, inpatient medical/surgical patient rooms to new hospitals opening. Collin College’s RN-to-BSN program is centrally located and ready to assist working RNs with the flexibility they need to be able to go back to school.”
The support continues when students gain experience with the college’s clinical partners. Dr. Skip Morelock, Collin College adjunct professor and Presbyterian Hospital of Plano administrative supervisor, said his hospital and Collin College have a robust partnership.
“At my facility, our highest levels of nursing leadership are committed to providing a positive learning environment for student nurses,” Dr. Morelock said. “Our Chief Nursing Officer Laura Massey is committed to ensuring that the relationship between Presbyterian Hospital of Plano and Collin College remains strong. We meet every semester prior to the students coming to go over the plan for that semester. Then on the first full day, Laura personally meets with the students and reinforces to them how important they are to the future of nursing. It’s these small acts that are very meaningful to the students.”
Collin College BSN students can set their own schedules for clinical requirements. If students are registered nurses, they can earn the BSN in just two 16-week semesters, although there are some conditions they must meet to do so.
Janelle said she was surprised at the amount of support she received.
“My professors have been in the field for a long time and are still actively practicing,” she said. “They walk the talk and stay up to date. Working in a hospital during a pandemic, for them to empathize with what we are going through is very important, and that’s what Collin professors do.”
Earning a Bachelor of Applied Technology
Jensine’s love of the cyber world didn’t happen right away. It wasn’t until she took an Information Systems Cybersecurity class and was the only one who broke her partner’s code that she discovered her future profession.
“Collin not only helped me find a career in cybersecurity, it also helped me become more vocal,” said Jensine, who plans to enter officer candidate school in the Marines after graduating. “Initially I wouldn’t talk in class, but I was thrown into situations where I couldn’t hide. I was one of very few females or the only woman in many of my classes. I was continually encouraged to serve as a leader — to become what I was meant to be.”
Collin College BAT coursework includes preparation for CompTIA, EC-Council, and (ISC)2 certifications. In addition, students can earn Cybersecurity Infrastructure Technician, Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), and Information Systems Cybersecurity certifications while working on completing their degrees.
“Through our newly accredited National Security Agency (NSA) program of study and our designation from the National Security Agency (NSA) as a Center of Academic Excellence (CAE), Collin College will continue to work with our regional academic and workforce partners to support the current and growing need for information security technicians in the North Texas area,” said Ervin Frenzel, Cybersecurity program director.
According to Scott Schindler, Collin College adjunct professor and director of Managed Security Services Tracepoint, he said he enjoys sharing 30 years of his hard-earned wisdom with students in a 16-week security leadership course.
“I have never seen something so valuable in all of my years as a student or an educator,” he said.
Jensine agrees and said she recommends the BAT to others.
“I learned a lot about cybersecurity policy and what goes into infrastructures,” she said. “The security audit simulations are invaluable. The professors expose us to different tools and ensure that we are industry ready, and they are available to answer endless questions.”
According to Jensine, both cybersecurity and nursing are lucrative and great fields for women and men.
“Our parents are from the Philippines, and they are proud,” Jensine said. “We are seizing this opportunity to do what they didn’t have the opportunity to do in the U.S. We are American citizens living the American dream.”