Social Work Student Ericka John Creates Drama Club for Shiprock Youth

February 24, 2021 Las Vegas, N.M. – Eighth-grade students in Shiprock, New Mexico, have the chance to express themselves artistically in an after-school drama club, thanks to New Mexico Highlands University social work student Ericka John. Going forward, John plans to build on the success of the drama club once COVID health orders make it…

Highlands Offers Three Little Free Libraries to Public

February 24, 2021 Las Vegas, N.M. – New Mexico Highlands University joined the worldwide little free library book sharing movement with three boxes installed on the Las Vegas campus Feb. 23 and Feb. 24. The Highlands University little free library book boxes are located in parks on campus, including the west side of Melody Park,…

Brooklyn Aragon Wins National Institutes of Health Fellowship

February 17, 2021 Las Vegas, N.M. – New Mexico Highlands University chemistry senior Brooklyn Aragon received a biomedical post-baccalaureate fellowship at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland. Aragon of Las Vegas, New Mexico, has earned a 4.0 GPA to date and is the first in her family to attend college. Her concentration…

Joedy Quintana Headed to Veterinary School

February 16, 2020 Las Vegas, N.M. – New Mexico Highlands University biology graduate Joedy Quintana will follow her dreams to veterinary school with Massey University in New Zealand and Michigan State University both accepting her to their veterinary programs. Quintana, a Sapello, New Mexico native, graduated from Highlands in May 2019 with a B.S. in…

Highlands Loves Virtual Gala Participants Pledge More Than $61,000

February 12, 2021 Las Vegas, N.M. – Participants at the Highlands Loves Virtual Gala Feb. 10 pledged more than $61,000 for student scholarships and other programs, including ones related to COVID-19 hardships. “People seemed relaxed and eager to participate and do something out-of-the-ordinary,” said Juli Salman, Highlands alumni director. “The Virtual Gala was very engaging…

Highlands to Build A Cultural Park

February 10, 2021 Las Vegas, N.M. – New Mexico Highlands University will break ground later this month for a cultural park designed for events such as traditional Matanza pig roasts. Matanzas have been a part of New Mexican culture and history since the first Spanish conquistadors arrived in the area in the 16th century. Highlands…

Kip Coggins Social Work Scholarship Announced

February 8, 2021 Las Vegas, N.M. – New Mexico Highlands University will establish a scholarship in memory of Kip Coggins, a professor in the Facundo Valdez School of Social Work who died Sept. 1, 2020. The scholarship will be for undergraduate and graduate social work students who are Hispanic and/or from lower socio-economic backgrounds at…

Mellon Foundation Grant for Media Arts to Preserve New Mexico Community Histories

February 5, 2021 Las Vegas, N.M. – The New Mexico Highlands University Media Arts and Technology Department will build a digital community-based archive to preserve the histories of villages and towns of Northern New Mexico, thanks to a $970,000 grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Some of the communities that will benefit include Las…

KEDP and KANW Radio To Collaborate

February 4, 2021 Las Vegas, N.M. – New Mexico Highland University and Albuquerque Public Schools are collaborating to bring KEDP radio back to the airwaves in Las Vegas. The collaboration brings KEDP together with KANW from Albuquerque. KEDP 91.1 will be rebroadcasting KANW New Mexico Public Radio later this month. “KANW is respected across New…

Becky Kappus Leads Teacher Licensure Fast Track Program

February 3, 2021 Las Vegas, N.M – Becky Kappus now leads the New Mexico Highlands University’s fast track online teacher licensure program aimed at getting professionals with bachelor’s degrees or higher into education careers faster. Kappus has more than 30 years of educator experience, including working as a university education professor and administrator, education program…

Jennifer Lindline Serves on Upper Pecos Watershed Association Board

February 1, 2021 Las Vegas, N.M. – New Mexico Highlands University geology professor Jennifer Lindline was appointed to serve on the Upper Pecos Watershed Association (UPWA) board of directors. “The Upper Pecos Watershed Association is the main group with their boots-on-the-ground identifying stretches of the Upper Pecos River in Northern New Mexico that are impaired…

Professor Lewis Borck to Talk on Virtual Archaeology Panel

February 1, 2021 Las Vegas, N.M. – New Mexico Highlands University anthropology professor Lewis Borck is a panelist at a Feb. 3 virtual discussion that explores how renewed organizing among Black, Indigenous and other heritage professionals happened globally in 2020. Sapiens, an anthropology magazine, is sponsoring the event. It is part of a webinar series…

Virtual Career Fair Feb. 10 for Highlands Students and Alumni

January 29, 2021 Las Vegas, N.M. – New Mexico Highlands University will host a free virtual career fair for its students and alumni Feb. 10 from 10 a.m to 2 p.m. More than 40 employers will participate in the Highlands virtual career fair. “The first step to participating in the virtual career fair is to…

Adrian Sandoval New CESDP Director at Highlands

January 28, 2021 Las Vegas, N.M. – Adrian Sandoval is the new director for the Center for the Education and Study of Diverse Populations (CESDP) at New Mexico Highlands University. Founded in 1993, CESDP is an educational diversity center that provides professional learning for teachers, students, administrators and families. “Our mission at the Center for…

Katie Christianson Organizes January 23 Santa Fe Virtual Women’s March

January 22, 2021 Las Vegas, N.M. – New Mexico Highlands University graduate student Katie Christianson organized the Santa Fe Virtual Women’s March set for Jan. 23 at 11 a.m. Deb Haaland, U.S. Rep. New Mexico and nominee for the Secretary of the Interior, will introduce the online march. The theme for the march this year…

Attorney General Hector Balderas and Denise Balderas Give Back to Highlands

January 21, 2021 Las Vegas, N.M. – New Mexico Highlands University alumnus Hector Balderas, the New Mexico Attorney General, is giving back to his alma mater through working with students in the university’s Legislative Fellowship Program. Denise Balderas, the attorney general’s wife, is also a Highlands alumna. She is working with the university’s Facundo Valdez…

Highlands Loves Virtual Gala February 10

January 20, 2021 Las Vegas, N.M. – This year the Highlands Loves Virtual Gala will be Feb. 10 at 6 p.m., featuring chocolate from Señor Murphy’s candy maker and New Mexico wines from the Castañeda Hotel in Las Vegas. “The community knows this event for the amazing chocolate desserts, delicious wine, and lively auctions to…

Spanish Professor Publishes About Three Chicana and Mexicana Playwrights

January 19, 2021 Las Vegas, N.M. – New Mexico Highlands University Spanish professor Norma A. Valenzuela published an essay that explores how three influential Chicana and Mexicana playwrights of the late 20th century built their work on earlier women’s work with a focus on societal and cultural change. Valenzuela’s essay is published in Teaching Late-Twentieth…

Sebastian Medina Publishes on Environmental Metals and Blood Disorders

January 14, 2021 Las Vegas, N.M. – New Mexico Highlands University biology professor Sebastian Medina published research that sheds new light on how environmental metals like arsenic contribute to blood disorders such as anemia. Medina is the lead author of several studies on this subject published from 2016 to 2020 in journals like Scientific Reports…

Las Vegas New Mexico Community Foundation Awards Grant to Highlands

January 12, 2021 Las Vegas, N.M. – Middle and high school students in New Mexico will learn about successful scientists and science careers in the state through a video, thanks to a grant from the Las Vegas New Mexico Community Foundation. The New Mexico Highlands University Foundation received the $1,000 grant, which will be used…

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