Education major Carlos Carranza was inspired to become a teacher by his high school English teacher. “She was one of those teachers who welcomed you no matter who you were,” said Carranza. “You mattered, and you were smart enough to do the work. She cared about you, and she went into depth to teach you. … I thought I could be like that for somebody and change lives.” At WNMU, Carranza is in his second year enrolled in a 3+2 program, which allows students to earn two degrees, a bachelor’s and master’s degree, in five years. Carranza’s undergraduate focus is on reading, and his graduate area of study will be on bilingual education and the Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL).  Carranza said that this combination of subjects best prepares him for his goal: to teach students in the borderlands. “I would like to teach where there is a struggle for English language learners,” he said. “I want to focus more on teaching English to speakers of...

School of Social Work alum Kaity Ellis (BSW ’17, MSW ’19) is using what she learned at WNMU to advocate for and assist fellow disabled New Mexicans. Ellis, who has cerebral palsy and is legally blind, works for the State of New Mexico as a Social and Community Coordinator for the Office of Special Education. Ellis is a certified coordinator for the Americans with Disabilities Act, and she previously worked with the Protection and Advocacy section of Disability Rights New Mexico, a state-wide nonprofit that works to protect, promote and expand the legal and civil rights of persons with disabilities. Ellis said she felt called to become a social worker because of a desire to be of service. “I want to be a public servant to the people,” she explained. “My belief is that you serve the people and you do what you can for everybody—not just for yourself.” On a broader scale, she would like to see a seismic shift in the disability rights landscape. “I want to work...

WNMU will be closed March 10-14, 2025, for Spring...

WNMU student Ixchel Flores has the same challenges that most college students have, like balancing academics with all the other activities in her life. But each day, Flores has an additional task demanding her attention: checking in with her parents to make sure they have not been deported. Flores (not her real name) is a first-generation American. Her parents came to the United States from Mexico City as part of an Aztec dance group. Through the group, said Flores, they had many opportunities to perform in the U.S., so they arranged to get visas and travelled with the other dancers. “About 2004-2005, my parents’ visas were about to expire,” explained Flores, “but then my mom found out she was pregnant with me, so like many other immigrant parents, they made the decision to stay here—to overstay their visas—to give me a better life.” “My parents made the choice that they thought would be the best for their family,” she added. Since that time, her parents...

As Women’s History Month begins, WNMU recognizes the accomplishments of its first graduate, Isabel Eckles. Born in Delaware in 1877, Eckles graduated from what was then known as New Mexico Normal School in 1895 with a diploma that was “to be considered as a first class teacher’s certificate in any of the counties of the Territory of New Mexico,” according to the language of the Council Bill that established the school. After teaching in Silver City for 16 years, Eckles was elected to the State Board of Education in 1912. She then successfully ran to be the Grant County Superintendent of Schools, a position to which she was reelected. After being term-limited from continuing as County Superintendent, Eckles became the Registrar of New Mexico Normal School in 1919. (The school’s name would be changed to New Mexico State Teacher’s College in 1920.) While working as Registrar, she also served as the President of the State Teachers’ Association. In 1922, following...

For the first time, the WNMU College of Education is hosting an International Research Scholar this year. In this new role, Egyptian scholar Eman Ahmed will be working closely with faculty in the Educational Leadership Program. For Ahmed, this is not her first international experience. “I came to the United States in 2007 to get my PhD from Pennsylvania State University," she indicated. "I was there for five and a half years, and I worked there as well as a graduate lecturer for four years and as a lecturer for a year.” Ahmed’s PhD is in educational leadership. Eventually, the terms of Ahmed’s visa required her to return to Egypt. Her next experience abroad was as a faculty member in Saudi Arabia. “I worked there as an assistant professor and then was promoted to associate professor,” said Ahmed. “It is not easy to be promoted there if you are not from Saudi Arabia,” she added. Ahmed decided to return to the United States because she is interested in devoting...

A team of leaders from the Associated Students of Western New Mexico University (ASWNMU) were recently in Santa Fe to advocate for requests they have made to the NM Legislature. ASWNMU is requesting $300,000 for upgrades to the university’s Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) and $100,000 for residence hall improvements. ASWNMU President Brenda Dominguez, a graduate student pursuing an MBA degree, explained that the new VDI will give students “remote access to any digital resource we have on campus from home.” Dominguez has felt the need for the VDI first-hand when she was an undergraduate at WNMU.  “When I took calculus as a student,” she explained, “there was specific software that you could only use if you were on Wi-Fi from the school. If you were not here, you could not use it. … The virtual desktop allows students who are in Deming or in Gallup or anywhere they take their classes from to access any sort of academic tool that our computers...

Students in Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán (MEChA) at WNMU organized a march on Wednesday, February 19, 2025, in response to recent national tensions surrounding immigration. Marchers held signs expressing concern about current policies and supporting immigrants’ rights. Members of the student body, faculty, staff, and broader community took part in the march, making their way down College Avenue, along Bullard Street and concluding at Gough Park. MEChA President Carlos Carranza said that the group organized the march to express solidarity with immigrants and their families. “We are the voices of those that do not have them,” he said. “It is important for MEChA to be the voice at WNMU for our people.” MEChA Vice President Valeria Adame agreed. “I think it is important to let students know that they are heard and their concerns are shared with others,” she said. “This is a way to let new members know what MEChA’s purpose is.” MEChA was formed...

Western New Mexico University is asking the NM Legislature for $250,000 to prepare for and construct a new greenhouse that will help to reduce food insecurity on campus. The greenhouse, which will measure 48 by 70 feet, is part of the university’s Food Security and Sustainability initiative as well as part of larger state-wide efforts, said Director of Food Security and Sustainability Katie Poirier. “Our efforts align with and are supported by Governor Lujan Grisham’s Food Initiative and the New Mexico Higher Education Department’s focus on eliminating food insecurity across New Mexico.” “Through this initiative,” said Poirier, “WNMU is committed to significantly reducing food insecurity on college campuses, and the greenhouse project will play a critical role in addressing these challenges.” According to a Basic Needs assessment conducted by the University of New Mexico, 68% of WNMU students and 50% of WNMU faculty and staff reported experiencing food...

A new team of editors at WNMU is gearing up to work on the fourth edition of the student-run journal “The Maverick.” The journal is published annually by the Mimbres Press. Leading the effort is this year’s editor-in-chief, English major Anais Orantez Middleton. “I have been a part of ‘The Maverick’ since its second volume,” Orantez Middleton said, noting that the experience has given her a solid understanding of the work that editors do. As an English major, said Orantez Middleton, “I wanted to write, but I wanted to still be comfortable with the idea of it actually giving me a career, so I found editing. … I am really happy that I get to learn the skills of what goes on in magazines, in newspapers, in literary journals. It is really exciting to gain experience before going into the workforce.” Joining Middleton this year are two new editors, Laisha Vargas Garcia and Arielle Certosimo, and a graduate assistant with the Mimbres Press, Marian Valle Angulo....