Author Archives: alcorna

Abe Villarreal, Western New Mexico University Assistant Dean of Student Support, is an alumnus and a current student. “I study educational leadership and love the program,” he says. “WNMU is where I grew up as a young adult, and it’s been my bread and butter for the last 11 years. I love that students have the chance to discover themselves here.” Being part of a Hispanic Serving Institution is important to Abe. “Of course, I’m Hispanic. I grew up in a border community. My roots are in Mexico. I really value that the designation puts a special focus on a community that has historically not had the opportunities for academic success. We should take that seriously and create programming to serve that community,” he says. Abe recently developed a Latino GroupMe for other Hispanic people at WNMU. “It’s creating community with a specific group of students on campus, where they can talk to each other share concerns that they might not share with others on campus....

Secondary education student Darlene Chavez is a senior at Western New Mexico University. She serves as President of the Associated Students of WNMU and works as an education assistant at Aldo Leopold Charter School. “From Deming, I chose WNMU for the music program, Mariachi Plata. After a while it became convenient that it was close to home. I didn’t have to move out,” she says. Being part of a Hispanic Serving Institution is a privilege, Darlene says. “The university’s designation as a Hispanic Serving Institution brings an understanding of who we are, the beauty of the culture, and the importance of getting to know us so we become a big family.” Exposing others to Hispanic culture is part of what Darlene enjoys about mariachi. “The majority of the world thinks of mariachi as a guy in a sombrero. It’s more than that. When you put on the mariachi traje, it’s worn with pride. You’re representing the culture of Mexico,” she says. “It’s nice to be...