Author Archives: Abe Villarreal

San Juan Open Was a DownHill Battle For Calum

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Farmington, NM -- Western New Mexico's all time best golfer is getting better. The 22-year-old 2016 graduate crushed the field in the San Juan Open en route to a $10,400 payday after posting rounds of 66-67-65-65--265 (21 under par) and a nine-shot victory over Steven Kupcho. There were 59 pros in the event, as well as numerous sponsors that have seen young players take the road to the PGA Tour via Farmington. Last year's champ, Colorado School of Mines former top player Jim Knous, who is now on the Web.com tour, the tour just below the PGA Tour. The San Juan is the top prize in New Mexico for professionals, but more importantly, its a terrific place to network and meet people that can help young pros like Hill get to the next level of competition, PGA Tour Qualifying School. Fellow Scot Martin Laird won the San Juan as a young player and is a PGA Tour winner these days. "I was 5 under on the par fives, so that helps a lot," said Hill after the round. "But i missed two...
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Grant County Business Resource Expo open to community

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Small Business Development Report: Exactly where can you find answers to your business questions? Grant County Business Resource Expo, that’s where! Tired of running in circles looking for resources to help your business? The Small Business Development Center at WNMU invites you to attend the Grant County Business Resource Expo to be held on June 15, 2017.   This FREE event will help existing and prospective business owners connect with key resources to help them succeed. Government and private resources are coming together in one location to answer your questions. Even the questions you might be afraid to ask! Take advantage of the chance to talk to Lenders, Tax Agencies, NM Employment Specialists, Local and State Regulators and Inspectors, Insurers, Accountants, Lawyers, and Professional Business Advisors, and more. Make personal connections with folks who can help you when questions come up in the future. All in ONE LOCATION!! “Although the event title says...
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Community job sharing site created for area employers

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Area employers looking to hire college students for seasonal, part-time or full-time jobs can now share their employment opportunities on the Western New Mexico University website. A new online posting form has been added to the Career Services page on the university website, giving employers the ability to list their vacancies for internships, apprenticeships and other kinds of employment. “Our local businesses have been asking for an avenue to share information for quite some time,” said Vanessa Stroman, Coordinator of Career Services. “This finally gives employers a way to directly give information to our students.” The posting tool is a simple form with entries including job title, job description, skills, and salary. After a form submission, job openings are posted to the website and shared with the student community. “We are lucky to have employers in various local industries including food and beverage, medical and hospitality that are looking to fill...
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First annual Fiesta Latina to feature live music, art, food

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Western New Mexico University is introducing a new annual summer event with Fiesta Latina on Father’s Day weekend. The three-day event includes mostly free, family-friendly components highlighting the rich colors and traditions of the Latino culture. Fiesta Latina kicks off Friday, June 16 with an Opening Reception, live music by Baracutanga, and Columbian dancers. Admission is $10 person and begins at 5:00 p.m. in The Gardens and on Light Hall patio on campus. Saturday, June 17 events begin at 10:00 a.m. with an all day Artisan Mercado in The Gardens, featuring over 20 Mexican-based master artisans specializing in a wide-range of mediums including ceramics, paper mache, weaving, apparel, pottery, and jewelry. Other Saturday events include a percussion workshop, art activities for children, and several musical performances including mariachi, ballet folklorico, capoeira, and samba. Tickets are on sale for the Tequila Tasting that will take place on Saturday from 1:00...
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Admission advisors urge early registration for fall

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Students looking to register for the fall semester are encouraged to do so before classes are full and fewer options available. The fall semester begins Monday, August 14. Students that wait until the end of the summer season often lose out on creating their optimal schedule. “Since registration opened in March, new and returning students have been registering for many of our most popular offered times,” said Devin Stroman, Coordinator of Student Services. “Students that wait for too long will have less choices.” Late registration may affect a student’s desired graduation schedule because of class rotation offerings. “Students that are not proactive about signing up early are often having to take a course or two during an extra summer session and sometimes have to wait an entire extra semester before graduating,” said Stroman. Advisors in the Office of Admissions are available Monday through Friday for new, returning students, and fully online students who...
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Board Of Regents meet, hear program updates

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The Western New Mexico University Board of Regents met for the annual May meeting to vote on several items one day prior to the spring commencement ceremonies. University President Dr. Joseph Shepard delivered an update on the state’s budget forecast and how it is affecting university business. President Shepard reported that the university has been proactive in creating a budget that is projecting future cuts by the state legislature. President Shepard reported on the collaborations with Mexican universities as well as a recent agreement with the Mexican State of Sinaloa for future student and faculty exchanges. Board members were also briefed on a new collaboration with Aldo Leopold Charter School, which will be using Regents Row on campus, a formerly used housing facility that will be remodeled for classroom space by the Silver City-based charter school. Board members voted to promote several faculty members including Leslie Cook, Katherine Oubre, Tanya Rivers, and...
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Independent Book Award given to JJ Wilson’s Damnificados

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The accolades continue for author JJ Amaro Wilson and his most recent title Damnificados, an acclaimed fiction novel published in 2016. Damnificados was awarded a Gold Medal by The Independent Publisher Book Awards in the Multicultural Fiction Category, selected from more than 5,000 entries from 18 countries. Wilson is the Writer-in-Residence at Western New Mexico University and a prize-winning author of more than 20 books about language and language learning. Wilson’s first novel is loosely based on the real-life occupation of a half-completed skyscraper in Caracas, Venezuela, the Tower of David. Wilson’s idea to write the book originated during a visit to Venezuela in 2013. The Tower of David was erected in 1990 and abandoned in 1994 when the Venezuelan government ran short of funds to complete the project due to the country’s banking crisis. More than 2,500 people moved into the structure until they were eventually relocated in phases through July 2015. In...
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Saving animal lives is new career path for recent WNMU graduate

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Rancho Cucamonga, California is a fast growing metropolitan area of more than 100,000 residents. A stark contrast to the rural lifestyle of southwestern New Mexico where Cherokee Marquez chose to begin her career in animal care. “People come in and they bring animals that are part of their livelihood,” said Marquez, a 24-year graduate with a degree in zoology from Western New Mexico University. “These are life and death situations.” Marquez is describing her daily routine at Advanced Veterinary Care in Silver City where she recently was hired as a Vet Technician. It is her first foray into what she hopes is a long career in animal care. After earning her bachelor degree in December, the California native returned home to the big city, only to quickly make her way back to Silver City after she was suggested for the job opening by Vanessa Stroman, WNMU Coordinator of Career Services. “Cherokee quickly came to mind as a successful and thoughtful student,” said...
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Alumna earns Juris Doctorate, will specialize in immigration law

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The child of Mexican immigrants, Edna Reyes has already made history with her family by being the first to graduate when she earned her undergraduate degree from Western New Mexico University. Soon, Reyes, 27, will be practicing immigration law for a leading law firm in Kansas. “My parents always knew that this could be a possibility,” said Reyes, “and because of them and their sacrifices I will soon be representing the people that are on that same journey, trying to accomplish similar dreams.” Reyes earned a Juris Doctorate from Washburn University School of Law earlier this month. It is the culmination of a higher education career filled with accolades and recognition. Reyes received a bachelor degree in criminal justice and a master degree in interdisciplinary studies from WNMU in 2014. A Deming High School graduate, during her time at WNMU, Reyes served in several student leadership positions including Student Body President. At Washburn University, Reyes was...
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New chapter of student leadership society introduced with induction of students

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A new chapter of the nation’s largest leadership honor society was initiated at Western New Mexico University with an induction ceremony of more than 70 students on Saturday, May 6. The National Society of Leadership and Success (NSLS) ceremony was the culmination of preparation of several months for students and staff that were looking to create new student leadership opportunities at WNMU. “The goal for us is to get students to analyze their life goals, helping them decide their majors, and improve their leadership skills to benefit our campus and community,” said Dayana Baez, 21, president of the WNMU Chapter. Baez, a junior majoring in chemistry and math, along with several other newly inducted chapter officers were the main proponents of bringing NSLS to WNMU. Nicki Vasquez, 20, a sophomore majoring in kinesiology, is the chapter vice-president. Vasquez is hoping that future programming is created targeting the Hispanic campus population. “I know for a fact...
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