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Spring 2022 edition of Twisted Vine Literary Journal debuted this week. The student-run journal curated by the WNMU graduate writing program is committed to publishing both emerging and established literary and visual artists. Twisted Vine seeks to represent an eclectic mix of ideas and values with a particular interest in pieces that challenge or redefine expression in new and inviting ways. The student staff — Taylor A. Russo, Jennifer Hardesty, Karl Blakely and Kathleen Mariel — produced the spring 2022 issue under the guidance and direction of WNMU Associate Professor of English/Writing and Interdisciplinary Studies Program Director Dr. Heather Steinmann. “It’s incredibly encouraging to see the creative process thrive in the face of a future unknown,” said Managing Editor Russo. “A clear thematic picture emerged from the pieces submitted to our journal, which reflect a contemplative examination of our past, present, and future. The works presented throughout...

Of the couple dozen submissions to the WNMU Creative Writing Contest, “The Intruder” by Nadien Chavez won first place in the prose/play category. “I’m working on two degrees at WNMU. My first is in secondary education with a focus in English language arts. The other is a degree in English Literature,” Chavez said. Clearly, she appreciates the written word. But Chavez has been a nurse for seven years. “The medical field is not for me,” she said. “I fell into nursing. Honestly, COVID-19 changed my life. I thought about what I was doing with my life, where I was going. I wasn’t fulfilled or happy in nursing, and being a teacher was always in the back of my head. I love working with kids.” She opted to make a change. “I got an associate degree from Doña Ana Community College in Las Cruces, where I live, but my boyfriend’s family is from Silver City. Some of them graduated from WNMU. I just called up one day, and the staff was really helpful. They made...

Western New Mexico University sociologist Andreea Nica, Ph.D., examines in her research how emotional intimacy relates to wellbeing across subcultures and family. She digs into the ways some communities address the rising trends and social problem of social isolation and limited meaningful emotional connection with others — both issues new parents identify with. A new parent herself, Dr. Nica recently penned an op-ed highlighting how modern society’s treatment of middle-class, dual-income families perpetuates social injustices and financial instabilities that trickle down. She sees the social ideals of middle-class parenthood being reinforced and maintained through toxic positivity, silencing and public shaming and says that these, along with the maternity healthcare system and childcare labor market, reproduce a societal problem that is socially masked. She says that while New Mexico is doing its part to ensure the proverbial village promised to new parents, further change...

Liz Adams has been a social worker for 24 years. She lives in Cimarron and works in a school in Eagle Nest. “I’ve worked for child protective services. I worked in a hospital as a medical social worker. I worked with adults with intellectual disabilities, and I worked for hospice. But this is my niche. I love working with kids. I enjoy working with our troubled youth. I also do groups with children who aren’t struggling, doing prevention work as well,” she said. “Cimarron Municipal Schools has four campuses in all. I’m the only on-staff school social worker.” Yet, because she holds merely a Bachelor’s of Social Work, Adams is required to be supervised by a LCSW who is also a school social worker. “It’s always been my goal to earn a master’s degree; it’s just never been the right time of life. I wanted to get her master’s from a New Mexico institution, because that’s where I live and practice and will continue to practice,” she said. “When I heard...

Exactly 436 students earned degrees from Western New Mexico University in spring 2022, and the Mustang community celebrated through a hybrid commencement ceremony on Friday evening. Of the graduates who received diplomas from WNMU this spring, more than 200 chose to participate in the commencement ceremony, with two thirds of those walking in person at Ben Altamirano Stadium and the other third of graduates turning their tassels over Zoom. The university awarded 87 associate degrees, 150 bachelor’s degrees, 163 master’s degrees, 73 graduate certificates, 28 certificates and 10 fast-track certificates, along with five high school equivalency diplomas. Recognized as new inductees in the WNMU Student Hall of Fame were Abigail Walter, Joaquin Delpino, Julissa Alaniz, Adrianna Darrow and Elizabeth Sorells. “The WNMU Student Hall of Fame is the highest recognition that can be earned by students and is reserved for those students who have demonstrated integrity and achievement...

All four of the Western New Mexico University students who were accepted to this summer’s BUILDing SCHOLARS program are women and psychology majors. The research-intensive training program is funded by the National Institutes of Health and reserved for undergraduates motivated to become biomedical, social, behavioral or health science researchers. In addition to coursework and mentoring activities, students will conduct research at one of the program’s 10 partner institutions, which reserve positions for BUILDing SCHOLARS graduates to later pursue their Ph.D. degrees. “BUILDing SCHOLARS is meant to catch students right at the beginning of their college careers and help them focus their interests as juniors and seniors in order to be more prepared for grad school,” said Dr. Jennifer Johnston, a WNMU psychology professor. Saramaria Ortega, BUILDing Scholars participant The WNMU students who received the scholarship, which includes tuition for 30 credit hours and a...