Alumni in the News

CARMELITA SANCHEZ DISTINGUISHED YOUNG ALUMNA AWARD Dealing first with the COVID pandemic, then later the Calf Canyon/Hermit’s Peak Fire, Carmelita Sanchez learned how to fight through adversity during her New Mexico Highlands University academic life. And what that...

CODY RIVERA FOREVER COWBOY STUDENT AWARD Although Cody Rivera still has two semesters to go to finish up his undergraduate degree in business administration, he was always destined to go to New Mexico Highlands University. Rivera’s mom earned both an undergraduate...

SHANTINI RAMAKRISHNAN SPIRIT AWARD Although Las Vegas is a long way from where Shantini Ramakrishnan was born and raised in Malaysia, she has come to think of it as home. “I came for a summer position, a seasonal position in the field working with rodents and plague...

LINDA VALENCIA MARTINEZ NMHU DISTINGUISHED ALUMNA AWARD It was more than 40 years ago that Linda Valencia Martinez graduated from New Mexico Highlands University with an undergraduate degree in journalism and a minor in art. But what followed was a distinguished...

TRAVIS MCKENZIE FOREVER COWBOY STUDENT AWARD Travis McKenzie, a middle school teacher in Bernalillo County, is a strong proponent of culturally relevant education. As a lifelong student himself, McKenzie’s route to NMHU was a winding one filled with the pursuit of...