May 31, 2023 NNMC Board of Regents Vice President Erica Rita Velarde Celebrates her daughter’s graduation from her Alma Mater Twenty years after earning her associate degree from Northern New Mexico College (NNMC) in May 2003, Board of Regents Vice President Erica Rita Velarde, PE, presented her daughter Devina Gonzales with her Associate of Arts in Liberal Arts degree at Northern’s Spring 2023 Commencement Ceremony on Saturday, May 13. They are the first two women in their family to earn a college degree. “I’m so blessed to be able to give Devina her degree. That’s like the coolest memory,” Velarde said. Velarde’s role as regent was an influence on Gonzales’ choice of Northern. “I would hear her talking to the president and think, ‘This is really...

Mar 29, 2023 Northern HEP students meet Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham Students and graduates of Northern New Mexico College’s (NNMC) High School Equivalency Program (HEP) met face-to-face with Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, cabinet secretaries, and other elected officials during Española Day at the Roundhouse Wednesday, March 15, 2022. The experience was part of President Hector Balderas’ Student Leadership Initiative, which he launched in February with NNMC’s Student Senate leaders. "Our Student Leadership Initiative at Northern New Mexico College continues to enhance student civic engagement,” said President Balderas. "We trust and involve our students as real-world leaders to make an impact in our...

Mar 01, 2023 Northern's Alumnus Brenda “G Precious” Atencio wins Native American Music Award It sounds like a plot from a Hollywood movie: a chance conversation opens the door for a hip-hop/R & B artist from Ohkay Owingeh to write lyrics and record a song with Grammy Award Winner Macy Gray. But that is what happened to Northern New Mexico College (NNMC) alumnus Brenda “G Precious” Atencio. That recording, “Unforgettable,” won the Native American Music Awards 2022 “Best Song of the Year.” “During COVID, I just happened to be in the right place at the right time in the right conversation with the right producer,” G Precious said. “And that’s truly how that song came about.” During that conversation, G Precious...

Feb 06, 2023 Northern's President Balderas Brings Student Leaders to NM State Legislature In an effort to empower students for civic engagement and support them as leaders in the community, Northern New Mexico College (NNMC) President Hector Balderas has launched a new Student Leadership Program, which he initiated Friday, February 3, 2023, by leading a group of young leaders to the New Mexico State Legislature. NNMC Board of Regents Vice-President Erica Velarde, PE, joined the president in introducing students to government leaders and the workings of the legislature. “I want to elevate leadership opportunities for the student senate and all students. This was the first step, for me to bring them here and expose them to decision...

Dec 14, 2022 Student research at Northen helps launch recent alumnus Hope Lopez into PhD program Northern New Mexico College offers extraordinary undergraduate research opportunities. That immersion in world-class research helped Northern alumna Hope Lopez obtain a post-baccalaureate internship at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and enter a PhD program at University of Utah. Hope graduated Summa Cum Laude with her Bachelor of Science in Biology in 2023. She was applying for master’s programs when The U evaluated her credentials and accepted her into their PhD program instead. She will begin that program in August 2024.