Man graduates from college where he started as a cleaner

In 2004, Frank Baez moved to the United States from The Dominican Republic when he was just 15 years old.

Two years later, he got a job as a housekeeper at the New York University Langone’s Tisch Hospital and fell in love with the environment.

Often surrounded by doctors, nurses and other experts in the medical field, Baez would always ask questions and what it took to become a nurse.


"He was always compassionate to patients and families," said Nataly Pasklinsky, who is currently the director of simulation learning at the NYU nursing school.

"He would ask the nurses questions about patient care and what it takes to become a nurse. My colleagues and I encouraged him to follow his dream," she added.

Baez then applied for a patient transport job where he would wheel patients in and out of theatre.

Later he pursued a degree in Spanish Literature with a minor in biological sciences, as he targeted patients who were not fluent in English.

This landed him a job as a unit clerk at the hospital, working closely with the nurses.

"I felt inspired by them to become a nurse, so I told them 'I want to be a nurse like you guys.’

"I was inspired by their work and everything they do for their patients,” he said during an interview with CNN.

Baez enrolled for an accelerated Nursing programme at NYU and was done in 15 months.

He admitted that the course was rigorous and he barely had time to rest.

His classes often ended at 2pm and his shift at work started at 3pm. He used most evenings to do his assignments.

"It was a very intense program, I'll tell you that. It was a lot of work.

"It was worth it, it paid off at the end. Here I am now, a graduated nurse," he said.

This week, he graduated with a nursing degree from NYU’s Rory Meyers College of Nursing and he is hoping to land a nursing job at the medical facility.