Bringing Poetry Back to the Community

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By Stephen Landis, CNM Student, November 24, 2025

These days, when people think of poetry, they usually think of something printed on deco art, next to a “Live, Laugh, Love” sign; basically a canvas print you’d find at Hobby Lobby. Even at CNM, where we have amazing outlets like the Leonardo Magazine, poetry tends to stay in the circles of people who already love it.

When I first started writing poetry, most people were encouraging of my creative expression, but I could tell they thought I was practically diving into old Shakespearean love sonnets. They didn’t see poetry as a way to express struggles, religious faith, humor, or social commentary.

I didn’t want that to be the cultural viewpoint of such a beautiful craft. Poetry has shaped cultures, challenged world leaders, and given people language for moments too heavy to explain. There’s a reason it’s often amongst the first things targeted when a society burns books. This art form deserves better than being reduced to decoration.

So I decided to bring poetry into real spaces again.

I’ve been partnering with local bookstores and my church to make my work accessible to people who value community over online monopolies, such as I do. Supporting local matters. Not just for the local economy, but for the culture we build around it. My first book signing in May of this year brought a huge crowd, which reminded me that people do care about poetry when it’s placed in front of them with intention. With this, I hope to have more events in the future.

I’m also working on a children’s chapter book based on one of my poems. If we want poetry to mean something in the future, we have to spark imagination early. Kids deserve stories that stir creativity.

My recent collection, Grace: And Other Poems, became part of this effort, as one more way to show that poetry can still speak to the deeper parts of life. For me, the included poetry is a bridge between the physical, mental, and spiritual. It’s a way to talk about trials in life, my personal religious faith, the longing for a better future, and hope, with nothing but honesty. Scripture inspires much of what I write, reminding me that grace isn’t earned; it’s given. Words have the power to carry that truth farther than we expect.

At the end of the day, I’m not trying to sell anything. I’m trying to revive something.

Poetry isn’t meant to sit on a wall or a shelf. It’s a voice. It’s a historical record of culture. It’s social commentary. It’s laughter. It’s a mirror. And if I can help even a few people rediscover that, then every poem I write is worth it.

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Celebrate creativity and community at the Spring Visiting Writer event & Leonardo Release Party

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By Leonardo Magazine Staff

The CNM Main Campus Library will host an evening of literary and artistic celebration on April 10, 2025, from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. The Spring Visiting Writer Event & Leonardo Release Party promises to be a fun night featuring Albuquerque’s new Poet Laureate, Damien Flores, along with CNM students whose poetry, creative non-fiction, fiction, art, music, and multimedia work is featured in the 2025 issue of Leonardo, CNM’s student-produced fine arts and literary magazine.

Before the evening’s festivities, which will include a reading by Flores, whose poetry has earned him numerous accolades, including Albuquerque’s 7th Poet Laureate, he will offer a free poetry workshop earlier in the day from 2:00 to 3:30 PM at the Main Campus Library Classroom (SRC 201K). The workshop is open to students of all experience levels, providing a valuable opportunity for anyone interested in honing their creative writing skills.

The Spring Visiting Writer Event & Leonardo Release Party is made possible thanks to the support of the Executive Council of Students (ECOS), the CNM Co-Curricular Learning Initiative, and the Governing Board’s General Activities Account (GAA).

This event is a celebration of creativity, community, and the talented students who contribute to CNM’s vibrant culture. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to engage with fellow students, pick up a copy of Leonardo 2025, and be inspired by this creative movement at CNM.

Rolling with the honors at CNM

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By Truett Jackson

Staff Reporter

On an unseasonably warm November afternoon, Stiffi Ysatam sat at the long-backed wooden Starbucks benches at the CNM Bookstore, assiduously working toward the upcoming end of term and sipping her coffee.

            With the thoughtfulness and work ethic of someone who knows where they are headed, Ysatam carries an executive presence.

“I’ve always held leadership positions in everything I’ve done, and I’ve started an organization here in New Mexico. It’s called the Dennis Chavez Scholars. The members are from a legislative program that happens every summer, and we work with UNM”, she said.

Before forming the group with peers at the National Hispanic Institute in 2023, Ysatam had been quite busy since migrating to the U.S. with family from the Philippines. There, she had roles in school clubs as diverse as treasurer of the Arts Club, as a vocalist, photographer, and as her school’s social media editor.

She continued her passion for participation at Valley High School here in Albuquerque, then on to CNM, where she is, as might be expected, on the dean’s list.

Naturally, when she enrolled at CNM, she looked for opportunities to grow and connect. This led her to look into joining Phi Theta Kappa, a national honor society with a chapter here at CNM.

“The chapter that’s in CNM is called Alpha Upsilon Chi”, she said, telling me that it was initially the scholarships and waived application fees the organization provides that attracted her.

“A lot of universities have application fees. So, for example, if I were to apply to the University of Denver, since I’m a member, they waive that application fee.”

Ysatam says that she has been surprised by how big the society is, with chapters not only in each state, but all around New Mexico. Being involved has given her the chance to travel and network with peers that share her tenaciousness and acumen.

“A few months ago, we went to Southeast New Mexico College and got to meet a lot of officers from different chapters all over New Mexico. Next semester we’re going to Kansas City, Missouri, for a convention. And that’s what I’m looking forward to, because I’m already making connections with people who are in the same club from all over the U.S. on LinkedIn.”

She went on to tell me about all the supportive areas of the club, and how she has seen it benefit not only her, but many students with different backgrounds and goals.

“Another thing that really got me into it was the PTK Edge courses. It’s for different things that will help college students, like first-generation students, to navigate through the college experience. So, we have courses for employment, which teach you how to apply for a job, how to network.”

She says there are courses for many other things, like healthcare, help with transferring to other universities, and research.

“The research courses are mainly for people who are working on Honors in Action projects that each chapter works on. Our Honors in Action project is that we are giving books to the public libraries here in Albuquerque.” Ysatam is excited and proud of her accomplishments with the group. She perks up whenever asked about their activities. Since becoming president of CNM’s PTK chapter, she now takes a leading role in these ventures.

“We do a lot of stuff! So that’s the Honors in Action project, then we also have a college project, where we work with the actual college. So, we’re working with Wellness CNM in early December to distribute stuff.”

She says they are excited to work with Habitat for Humanity in the upcoming months, and that sometimes they get to have fun with it.

“For fundraising for our organization, we’re doing bingo! We had our first bingo recently, and it was really successful. I’d say we raised quite a lot from it!”

Telling about the connections she has made with not only her peers and advisors, but the CNM community at large, she says that there is a sense of gratification that comes with it all.

“We’re not just focusing on personal development, but we’re also involving ourselves in bettering the community,” she said.

“I’m gaining more experience; I’m improving as a person. I could see myself starting a hospital in the future, we’ll have to see. And even though I’m already let’s say, a doctor by then, I still intend to help out with this specific chapter, because this is where I’m from. I’m gonna give back, because it’s helped me a lot.”

She says that she sees the group as an ally and a bridge to the future. “I’ve been a member for less than a year, so I’m still learning about the whole organization. I found out that membership doesn’t end when you graduate from your two-year college. You could be in your PHD degree, and they still have stuff out there for you.”

There are specific requirements for membership, which can be found on CNM’s website. When asked if there was something Ysatam would like to say to CNM students, she kept it simple.

“Tell them to join us! Usually when people think of organizations in schools that it’s like extra work. It is extra work, especially since I’m an officer, but it’s not the type of work that makes you exhausted. I feel fulfilled. You get to work with all these awesome people and learn from them.”

To learn more about Phi Theta Kappa, you can visit www.ptk.org, or email ptk@cnm.edu with any questions.

Regulating, then educating at CNM

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By Truett Jackson

Staff Reporter

          As Wellness CNM continues to expand across CNM, opportunities are arising for students, staff, and faculty to not only keep themselves and their families safe, warm and fed, but also to understand how to take care of our minds and become better learners.

          On a warm, beautiful Tuesday in mid-September, Donna Lucero, the Director of Training at All Faiths Children’s Advocacy Center, gathered with CNM students and Wellness staff in the Ted Martinez building at Main campus.

          The lecture, presented by Lucero, which ran over the span of a long lunchtime, was an incredibly informative, deep dive into cutting-edge brain science on the human stress response system, and the importance of keeping said system regulated.

          The way the brain is constructed, explained Lucero, starts from the bottom up, and from the inside out. There are essentially four parts to it: the brainstem/cerebrum, the diencephalon, the limbic, and the cortex.

          Lucero taught that all information is essentially screened by the lowest parts of the brain, like a TSA agent does before letting someone fly, for any danger or possibility of threat.

          If any threat is detected, be it real or perceived, the brain will go into either a fight/flight mode, which has us produce adrenaline and heightens senses, or it will go into freeze mode, which basically routes blood flow and energy to our core, putting us into a survival mode.

          If our brain is in standby mode, or it is busy scanning for threats, the gathering, storing, and learning of information by the cortex is put on hold. Simply put, you aren’t going to retain any of the stuff you showed up to class for today if your mind is frazzled.

          Through Lucero’s lecture, we learned that when we feel calm and safe, our brains are open to connection and ready to process data. This is known as being ‘regulated’, while a mental state of chaos, fear or paralysis is what is known as being ‘dysregulated’.

          Lucero educated the group on what trauma cues are, which can be anything — a noise, a smell, a color; whatever our brain associates with a perceived threat, and that trauma comes back as a reaction, not a memory. Fundamental to Lucero’s philosophy is the idea that you need to first regulate, then educate.

          Lucero went on to give the group tools to close the stress response cycle, and highlighted the importance of keeping one another regulated, as two dysregulated people trying to solve a problem together is difficult at best.

          Regulating yourself via exercise, breathwork, laughter, or even a good cry keeps us open and ready to learn and developing ‘trauma-sensitive lenses’ that can help our student mind respond to adversity with empathy, compassion, and skill-building.

          Lucero ended the lecture with a reminder that encountering a kind face and a soothing voice can dramatically alter the way we feel, and that aligned, focused attunement with others can shift us out of disorganized, fearful states and help us advance in life and thrive at CNM.For more information, or to request future guest lectures, students can contact Wellness CNM at 505-224-3000.

City seeks to improve bus access for students

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By Truett Jackson

Staff Reporter

            Student life at CNM has been back to full speed for some time now, and ABQ Ride is implementing plans to improve rider safety and return to pre-pandemic service across the city of Albuquerque. Expanded access to transportation for students, faculty, and staff will translate to savings of time, money and energy for our Burqué community.

As a part of this process, the City is asking for input from its citizens on their needs and concerns. With CNM’s campuses spread throughout the city, more access for Suncats means a better, more well-oiled CNM machine.  More response from you means more service and more options. You can find the survey for the Ride Forward Plan here.

Getting to class on time is great, and you should feel safe getting there. You can find that survey here.

ABQ Ride is already taking the needs of its college-bound passengers into consideration and is restarting service on the 790 Coors/University route. They would also like to remind students that the bus is still free, and that they are working on a multi-pronged approach for public safety with more initiatives to come for public safety.

Nourishing community at CNM

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By Truett Jackson

Staff Reporter

            Jesse James Sanchez III is a full-time employee at CNM. He can be found, most days, answering calls for the college’s main line, assisting students with anything from getting a parking permit to applying for financial aid.

             In addition to this work and his schedule of classes, he can be found at CNM’s main campus library every week, where he never misses an opportunity to assist with the school’s Food Pantry offering.

            “I’m the same as the people that come in here,” Sanchez explained. “I’m also a student. I get that things are stressful and hectic, and there are ways that CNM does a lot. It puts the community in community college.”

            Sanchez, who has been volunteering for over a year with the pantry, explained that his duties include stocking incoming purchases and donations, loading them into bags, and being a friendly, familiar face to his peers at CNM.

            “We have places where you can come and get food weekly,” Sanchez Said. “I’ve always seen the good that comes out of a food pantry.”

            CNM opened its Food Pantry in December of 2021on Main campus, serving 100-200 students each week. The pantries expanded to satellite campus locations, and in 2023 over 1,000 students visited the pantries. In 2024, pantries expanded to include community fridges at each location.

            “The food pantry is a service that is accessible to all students that provide a CNM student I.D. or number,” said Isaac Coronado, a Student Ambassador who works with Wellness CNM.

            “This resource is completely free. It doesn’t cost anything except a few moments of your time. A student has the option to pick from a large variety of non-perishables and can take home a bag of produce,” explained Coronado, “Here on Main campus, we run this pantry every Wednesday. The other pantries that we have are at the Westside and South Valley campuses.”

            Since adding the Food Pantry to the list of resources under the Wellness CNM umbrella last year, the organization says that it is just one of the myriad ways to connect with students and help to ensure they have all they need to thrive at the school while they work toward a better future.

            “Wellness CNM is a great resource. So many students are forced to pay for classes.

Having fresh veggies and things to eat throughout the week is a great resource,” Coronado said.   “Coming from a community that has difficulties that we’re all aware of, we’re trying to help with those. Whether it’s housing, clothing, transportation… we’re going to assist you, my department specifically, in those difficulties.”

            Coronado explained that the Food Pantry is open to all students, staff, and faculty at CNM. He also wants people to reach out to him or his colleagues regarding any areas they may have need for a helping hand.

            “Being a part of Wellness CNM, this is exactly what we embody. When you schedule a meeting with us, whether it’s for basic needs or mental health, we will provide a safe and confidential environment,” said Coronado.

The Food Pantry at CNM’s main campus is open to all CNM students every Wednesday during full-term semesters from 3-6 p.m. and is located inside the library. For more information, as well as hours and dates for other campuses, contact Wellness CNM at 505-224-3106.

Emerging artists exhibit works at CNM

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By Truett Jackson

Staff Reporter

            Students from CNM’”s art department are celebrating the completion of the capstone to their degree. The Portfolio Development course, instructed by Rachel Popowcer, empowers students in the business side of art and enables students to begin their careers as professionals.

            On a breezy Friday evening in late March, the graduating class exhibited their completed works in CNM’”s gallery at Main Campus in a display they have named Behind Closed Eyes.

            “It really is the business of being an artist,” said Ms. Popowcer. “I take them on field trips to galleries, we talk about social media, we talk about how to put together your portfolio, we do the bio and artist statement, then I proofread and edit that.”

            She said that she enjoys helping students gain the knowledge and confidence they can use to know their worth as an artist. Doing an oral artist presentation for their entire class and consolidating their work into a focused series is part of that process.

            “It has to be a series, because that’s part of also being a professional artist, is starting to focus in on your work,” she explained, “starting to hone in a little bit more on theme and what they want to do with a series of art, so that they can start to apply to things.”

She encourages them not to pigeonhole themselves, but also to define who and what they are as an artist. “My goal is to help them consolidate all their artistic information into something that they can go out into the world with professionally. A student from last semester got into a gallery, and it was so easy for him because he had everything that he needed.”

“This class has really helped me to focus more on my art, and to prepare and organize everything,” said Fakhrossadat Zarifkarfard, who hails from Shiraz, Iran. “It’s very helpful for me, this class.” She said, explaining the Persian influences in her art and the gorgeous frames from her homeland she has displayed her work in. “It’s my first work, and I love them.”

Briana Lee has become more assured in her work since coming to CNM. “I didn’t really know what I wanted to do,” she said, showing her mixed-media collage, Majestic Being. “It’s finally let me show my work, instead of keeping it hidden away.”

“I started out with a series of eight”, said Gerry Beard of their work, When the Music Died. “The whole theme of all of them is events, whether natural or man-made, which basically caused the music to stop… culture to stop.”

Beard explores the impact of events such as the 9/11 attack, the bombing of Hiroshima, and other heart-stopping events in history. “That’s Buddy Holly’s plane crash,” she explained of one particularly harrowing scene. “I was collecting a bunch of reference photos, but some of them showed bodies, so I just put guitars instead.”

Aaron Schmidt, who designed the poster art for Behind Closed Eyes, has shown particular growth, despite being an accomplished artist prior to the program. “Rachel really helped me because she pushed me to try oil painting,” they said. “I’ve been painting with acrylics for probably six or seven years, but I’ve never really delved into oil painting.”

They said that learning the business side of art has been an invaluable experience, and that having such a dedicated professor makes a huge impact. “She’s helped a lot with that. Also, doing the technical stuff, like putting together and artist bio and other things you need to have as a professional artist.”

Schmidt said that it is an exciting time to be a talented newcomer in Albuquerque’s art scene. “I think it’s definitely growing,” they said. “When I first started doing art and taking it seriously, it was quite a bit smaller.”

With the culmination of their student art career at an end, it is an exciting, yet bittersweet time for the students and instructors in Ken Chappy Hall. Many have had years-long relationships with their peers and professors.

“About half of the class I’ve had as students before,” remarked Popowcer as she readies to send her fledgling expert artisans out into the world. “It’s nice to see the evolution, and I like having a continuing relationship with my students, who are wonderful.” Behind Closed Eyes can be experienced at CNM’”s Main Campus art gallery, in KC Building, Room 103. Call 505-224-3000 for more info.

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Art and science collide at CNM

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By Truett Jackson

Staff Reporter

            Stefan Jennings Batista had always been entranced by images of the American West growing up as a Catholic kid in South Florida. By the time he had made his way to New Mexico, he had already established himself as an artist, and was eager to utilize the vast canvas of the Southwest in his own compositions.

            “A lot of these images are a product of my fascination with landscape photography from the 1800’s that was very much inspired by Romantic-era American painting, and that movement in art kind of co-opted faith and magic in order to legitimize ownership of the land,” says Batista of his photography installation, ‘Tiny Ocean’.

            Though he does not consider himself a religious person nowadays, Batista’s lifelong fascination with the ritual and mystery of his upbringing in the church are immediately apparent in his works.

            “That sort of shaped how I saw imagery and symbolism visually, and I spent my whole childhood thinking I was going to be an artist, so that experience kind of informed how I look at painting… how images feel important and feel special, and how I read them. Looking back, I think that background set in motion the way I read pictures and then construct them.”

            Batista considered himself to be a science-minded kid, and the fusions of art, science and religion are conspicuous in his creations.

            “I wanted to go into the sciences and have art be on the side, and eventually that switched for me,” he said. “I’ve been interested, for a long time, in this fine line between how faith is this desire for understanding and purpose, and in a similar sense, I think that science works in the same way.”

Eventually, Batista found that he had a love of being expressive and was adept at creating images. “I went into art. When I started thinking critically about artmaking, especially in a theory and fine art context, I realized that both science and my background in Catholicism were kind of making their way into the pictures that I enjoy making, and I was calling upon symbolism in the works that I was making, and I couldn’t really escape that. I think now, making art, I get to explore that past, and those desires for information, for knowledge, for purpose, for meaning. And it all comes back to the sublime — this desire for placing myself relative to the infinite.”

            Batista’s artistic trek led him to study out East before making his journey to the West. “I went to a college in South Florida called the Ringling College of Art and Design. That school is heavily commercial in terms of its education. You get an art history background, you get theory, but the fundamentals and the output is primarily geared toward commercial audiences. So, I had a background in fashion, product photography, as well as fine art/conceptual art. When I left there, I’d pretty much dedicated myself to a commercial direction, and I worked on that for the next six years until I went to graduate school.”

            He worked professionally in commercial photo studios, which took him to New York and Miami. “I ended up having a love/hate relationship with it, because the commercial world can be kind of nasty, but on the other hand, it’s a living.”

Batista found himself with a deep love photography, which first brought him to New Mexico. He said he went back to grad school because he wanted to spend time making art and liked the idea of teaching.

“I really found value in the deep art of photography, and its plethora of utilities. I ended up applying to graduate school in New Mexico, and I came from Florida to UNM. I spent three years there in the graduate program and got a graduate degree in Art Studio, with a focus in photography.”

His studies at UNM led him to realize that he had found a path for his passion and career goals to occupy the same space. “I realized the utility of photography as a commercial tool, and so I was like, I can make art, but I can also have a career and make a living.”

This path took him back East, before once again becoming entrapped by the Land of Enchantment.

“After I graduated, I spent a couple semesters teaching at a college in Southeast Tennessee called the University of the South, in Sewanee. After my time was done there, I came back to New Mexico,” he said, “when I moved back, I applied for teaching positions and I landed a job here at CNM, which I’ve loved ever since. I’ve continued to develop a commercial practice here in photography, illustration, design, and I’m also lucky enough to also get to teach that.”

Asked what guidance he would have for prospective students who are interested in learning more about art at CNM, Batista says that in seeking knowledge of art one can have various ways to approach it, depending on whether their curiosity is based on becoming a professional, creating art for art’s sake, as a stress-release tool, therapy, a side-hustle, or something else.

“I think it depends on what people have proclivities to. That being said, I always encourage people, if they’re trying to get into art, don’t do something you hate, but I always encourage people to get out of their comfort zone.” He said he likes to see people to try something they’re afraid of, something they would have liked to have given a chance. To push themselves to go beyond their own expectations.

In the Art department at CNM, the reasons for students seeking this kind of instruction in art are myriad, whether they are for gaining a deeper understanding of their current field of study, as a requirement for their major, or just to learn and have fun.

“I’m a communications person, I wanna know about photography so I can apply that in my career,” he said, noting many of the various programs CNM offers.

 “How can I use these different modes of working to say something, right? And maybe from there, someone can say, OK, I really don’t like working with texture, I don’t like 3D, but I really do like drawing, or love installation, or photography’s something I want to learn more about.”

In addition to hopeful pro– photographers, it is not at all uncommon for Batista to have students from the medical field in his classes. “We’re offering a 2nd-level photography class as of this past year. Myself and the other photo instructor here, Angelika Rinnhofer, whose work is here, switch off teaching,” he said, pointing to the stunningly opulent, mesmerizing work of his colleague in KC building that currently he shares the installation space with.

“Some of my best students every year are from the medical fields,” he told us, “It’s nice because it balances, again going back to our earlier conversation, this very informed, technical, scientific approach to their careers…they get to use that in learning the camera, but then they get to be creative, artistic, emotional.” He said. “I would assume that it probably creates this wonderful balance for them. So, if for any other reason, maybe it’s just nice to get outside of yourself.”

When asked where the best starting point for people wanting to expand their horizons and explore art and its place in their lives, Batista tells us that CNM is an ideal setting.

            “It’s nice that it’s accessible for people that maybe either aren’t able to or are unsure if they should invest in this really expensive, university-track kind of approach to gaining an education in something. I have students that are really young, or much older that the traditional college student that are all able to access this stuff, course by course, semester by semester, on their own terms. And do it without this sort of burden. And they get to use it for therapy, for fun, for an escape. Or hey, I’m gonna use this in my career, and I don’t have to put myself into debt. I appreciate that. I try to keep that in mind when I teach to students with a diversity of needs and perspectives.”

            On what Batista would like folks to take away from ‘Tiny Ocean’, he says that it all comes back to faith, science, and the unknown.

            “We find ourselves with these systems of science, of faith, whatever… to try to define and articulate and grasp the unknown. And then when we have it, we feel empty, and we need to look into another abyss to feel something. To me, a lot of these images are like that precipice. Of seeing something that maybe represents wanting more and knowing something… that feeling, what does it look like? That’s when I start to borrow these symbols from how I’ve experienced that precipice in my life.”

With all the answers apparently readily available at the fingertips of humanity, Batista says that it is now more important than ever to hold on to our sense of mystery and wonder.

            “There’s this human need to know things. And then, the more you know, I think, the more empty we feel. We need more, want to know more, to understand more. But at the same time, especially right now, we’re living in a time where it feels like we can just go find the answer to something anywhere. Like there’s no more mystery left. That’s why we’re pushing so hard to go to these new horizons. I think that’s always been human nature, and so I think at the very top of all these images, for me at least, is a self-reflection of that human nature to desire the unknown, to desire mystery. But at the same time, to try to kill it. There’s a duality there that I find really fascinating and beautiful, but it’s also tragic.”

The installations ‘Tiny Ocean, by Stefan Jennings Batista, and ‘Menschenkunde, Felsenfest, Seelensucht’, by Angelika Rinnhofer are currently on display in the state-of-the-art gallery in KC building on CNM’s main campus. Contact sbatista1@cnm.edu or call 505-224-3000 for more information.

Major changes made easy

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By Truett Jackson       

Staff Reporter

          There can be many reasons that a CNM student may consider changing their course of study. They may realize that it is not a good fit for them personally, they just do not see themselves being happy with their career choice in the long run, or they just do not have quite the same dreams and goals they did when they finished high school.

Thankfully, CNM has so many fields of study available that finding the right path is easy. With the aid of current technology and the guidance of a CNM advisor, finding the right degree program or area of study can be a piece of cake.

Most CNM students are familiar with the EduNav system. This is found through myCNM, clicking on ‘Registration’, and clicking ‘Register for Classes’. This is how a student can see their past progress, current status, and future plan, all the way up to their declared graduation goal.

Through the EduNav system, a student can add, drop, or change their scheduled classes. Though one can do all this on their own, advisors highly recommend that a student meets with them to make sure they’re staying on track.  Advisors can also make sure students are clear on withdrawal dates, refunds, and knowing which course or how many courses are required for them in that particular semester.

If a student is curious about what changing their major might look like, or they haven’t declared a major yet and want to see what it takes to acquire a career in a field they’re interested in, they may find benefit in checking out CNM Degree Works, which is powered by an ‘intelligent learning platform’ called Ellucian.

To find the Degree Works link, go to the myCNM ‘Registration’ page, and in the middle section, you’ll see a banner that says ‘Stay on Track’ under the ‘Academic Advisement’ heading. Directly under this banner is the highlighted ‘CNM Degree Works’ hyperlink.

Once you are redirected to the Degree Works page, a student will automatically be in the ‘Academic’ section of their program evaluation. They can see all of their pertinent info listed, along with all the classes they’ve completed or need for their degree.

Right under the first section, where one’s info is listed, they’ll see two links. The first, ‘Academic’, can be thought of as written in ink. The other link, ‘What-If’, is right alongside the first. This section can be seen as ‘penciling it in’, and this is the fun part.

In this ‘What-if’ section, a student can scroll through all the catalog years, programs and degrees that CNM offers. By simply selecting a degree and clicking ‘process’, a learner can view how far they would be toward that degree, what would be expected, and every class they would take to achieve that degree.

These tools can be like a road map for students, and what took hours or days for someone to try to do manually just a few years ago can be computed instantly, and it can be quite amusing to play around and see what all the possibilities are.

While students may have a map to use and plan their journey toward their career destination, they wouldn’t want to jump in a river raft and try to traverse the rapids all alone. To get through with ease, one needs a river guide. These guides are your friendly CNM advisors.

Meeting with an advisor prior to making any permanent changes is highly recommended and is required in many cases. They are super helpful and here to serve the CNM student body. A student can easily make an appointment with them either online or by calling, or just simply walk on into any campus and see one today. CNM advisors have a wealth of knowledge and many have been through the process themselves. Sometimes, they even have candy.

Shaping a safer Suncat

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By Truett Jackson

Staff Reporter

            When you are part of any campus community, one of the first fundamental things to get familiar with is how to keep yourself safe on school grounds. To do this, one of your best options is to get advice from a pro.

            “We want to be approachable, and we want to be visible,” said Deputy Chief of Security Tony Fields, a seven-year veteran of CNM’s security team. “So, we kinda stress to all our guys to get out and be seen.”

            When traversing any of CNM’s grounds, students can expect to see Fields and his fellow teammates in their black and Hi-Vis bright yellow vests.

            “Our Chief instituted a thing that we do a ‘hello’. We want our guys to say hello to people, so they are approachable” Fields said.

            One only has to look at the statistics in the most recent CNM Annual Security Report to see that Fields and his colleagues’ strategy of employing openness, friendliness and visibility seems to be highly effective.

            While there are trouble spots in the report, like a couple of burglaries on different campuses and some incidents of stalking, the statistic for the last few years shows that CNM’s school grounds are significantly safer than the surrounding community at large.

            With that being said, there are still steps that every learner can take to ensure they have the safest experience possible while getting their business done at school. According to Tony Fields, there is one thing above all to keep in mind.

            “Awareness.” Said Fields. “You need to be aware. Be aware of your surroundings. Looking at your phone, listening to music… that’s not being aware.”

            He told us that being aware ties into every area of personal campus safety, from the moment you pull into the parking lot until you leave to go home.

            Refraining from keeping valuables in your vehicle, knowing who is around you, and watching for bikes and cars are part of being mindfully alert and aware. Knowing important contact numbers is also an important precaution.

            Fields said that an area of particular importance when it comes to being aware is what to do in the event of an active shooter event on or around a CNM campus.

            “It can happen anywhere,” Fields said, and  that schools should be trained in a method called ‘run, hide, fight’ to respond to a major security event. “If we are in an active shooter-type incident, most of the buildings are gonna get immediately locked down, so you’re not gonna be able to get into a building. Get off campus. Go somewhere safe.”

            He said that once you get yourself to a safe place during such a situation, you should call the proper authorities. He provided a card with a cute, alert-looking creature on the front that can be found all around on campus, and their Chief has begun handing them out to every student during orientation.

            “That is a meerkat,” said Tony. “A meerkat, when he’s at home, all he’s doing is watching his surroundings. And that’s what we want people to do here.”

            Fields said that students should familiarize themselves with the important emergency and non-emergency numbers on the reverse of the meerkat card and save them to their contacts. He suggested they reach out by phone, online or in-person at any campus.

            “If any students have any questions or any concerns, they can come by our office, and we can answer any questions they may have.”

CNM Security is temporarily located on Main Campus in room SSC-110 and can be reached 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 505-224-3002.

 Pictured above:

A watchful meerkat with important CNM security info (top) and Deputy Chief of Security Tony Fields (bottom)

Leonardo mag highlights creatives

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By Truett Jackson

Staff Reporter

            CNM’s student literary and fine arts magazine, Leonardo, is seeking submissions for its annual publication.

Founded in 1991 by English faculty Jon Bentley and Tim Russell, Leonardo features poetry, short fiction, creative non-fiction, and visual art created by students across CNM’s campuses.

Leonardo provides an exciting opportunity for creative students to see their work in print, and for its student editors to gain publishing experience while part of the CNM honors program. 

 Previous issues have included works by talented CNM students in short fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and visual art. The upcoming publication will for the first time contain a new category, which will include audio and printed lyrical works of art.

You must be currently enrolled as a student at CNM to submit your art for publication, and students may submit multiple finished pieces in different mediums. The deadline for submissions is March 1st, with an estimated publication date of April 2024.

Submission guidelines for Leonardo can be found on its website, and students are welcome to download past issues to see the wealth of skill and inspiration crafted by their CNM peers.

Students can email leonardo@cnm.edu with any inquiries or to submit their work.

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The financially prudent student

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By Truett Jackson       

Staff Reporter

          Holding on to ones funds is something that is constantly on most people’s minds. If you happen to be someone who that doesn’t apply to, you are one lucky Suncat.

          While some things may strike most as obvious, such as skipping the Starbucks or making their meals at home, other ways to save on everyday essentials might be more obscure.

          Many services that offer student discounts, such as YouTube, employ a verifying service that will confirm a person’s eligibility for said rebates.

          One of these such services, SheerID, allows students to simply punch in their student credentials at youtube.com/premium/student (make sure you’re using your CNM email) and the school they’re enrolled in, and within seconds, their monthly YouTube Premium cost is halved.

          Other companies that verify through SheerID are Hulu, Soundcloud, Spotify, Peacock, Nike, and Peloton Interactive Inc. (Peloton).

          While the aforementioned may sound like junk food for the senses that’s occasionally educational, there are many student perks that may arguably elevate the mind and body.

          Microsoft’s Office suite, for instance, is available to most CNM students free of charge with their school enrollment. Outlook, PowerPoint, and Excel are all available with verification of your student credentials.

          Examples of more tools to get your brain flowing at a deep discount include Adobe Creative Cloud, Final Draft screenwriting software, and Ableton Creative Tools for music.

          Keeping our student body healthy is as important as feeding our brains. A convenient way to do that might be to investigate the opportunity that the University of New Mexico, UNM, offers CNM students to use the facilities at Johnson Center. It is located between the university’s Popejoy Hall and Johnson Field.

          CNM students enrolled in a minimum of six credit-hours can get a UNM Recreational Services ‘passport’ for $40 a semester, with a $10 sign-up charge. Their three pools, gyms, weight rooms, and cardio rooms are state-of-the-art and easy to access.

          Savvy students who take just a few minutes to show their proof of enrollment at CNM can save quite a bit of cheddar in a semester. Those who know where to look can spend all that cash they’ve saved on the really important stuff, like that big pink Stanley cup.

Ready for the holidays!

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Robert Slevin

Senior Reporter

Fall semester is over, finals were last week, and some students are excited for a much-deserved holiday break.

“I just love the holiday’s and all the music and decorations and not to mention the food and family. I’m ready for the break but can’t wait until Spring Semester,” said Matthew Roach, a CNM student.

Another CNM student, Joshua Duvall-Houston, who is majoring in Human Services, said, “I’m really excited for this semester to be over because after next week I will have my associate’s in human services! But I am excited to see my family and celebrate my success and the holidays.” So, as we complete the fall semester and progress in our education, make sure to enjoy the holidays and we at the CNM Chronicle hope to see you in the Spring!

top view of table set up for christmas dinner
Photo by Nicole Michalou on Pexels.com

Wellness CNM welcomes students!

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By Truett Jackson

Staff Reporter

            The student body at CNM, having powered through a busy fall semester with the holiday season afoot, is familiar with being stressed. To help tackle this tension, there is a new resource for those who may need a hand in establishing a sustainable balance between school, work, and life.

Wellness CNM, currently located at CNM’s Main Campus, aims to provide connections to resources that can ease the workload of those who may be feeling overwhelmed, and the center is prepping to mark one year since opening their doors.

 “At that time, it was just me, and it was really getting in students who were struggling, who wanted access to counseling, or might be facing barriers like their car broke down or they couldn’t afford gas, or they didn’t know about our food pantries,” said Mia Mendoza, director of Wellness CNM.

Over the last year, the number of students coming into the wellness center has increased by 800%, indicating to her that the need is there. “Coming next year, I think this program’s still so new that it’s going to look a lot different than it does right now, so I would say definitely stay tuned for bigger things that are happening.”

Elaborating on who the center is intended for, Mendoza said, “our target audience is any CNM student, whether you are online, in-person, hybrid, on any campus; whether you are full-time, part-time, just started, returning, it doesn’t matter. Absolutely any CNM student has access to these services completely free of charge.”

            Mendoza cautions that while she and her staff of interns can provide access to resources that assist with things such as food insecurity, childcare, transportation, and mental health issues like depression and anxiety, the staff at the center are not nurses or therapists.

“We’re not addressing everything in-house, but we know how to get people in the right direction.” She said that in addition to mental health issues, the center also aims to assist with basic needs.

“We all have these things that we need to not only survive, but be successful, right? We need access to food, we need a safe place to live… if you’re a parenting student, you need access to affordable childcare, you might need to drive to campus and need transportation. So, we help students with those quote unquote basic needs.”

 According to Mendoza, a large part of the work they do is to help when students come to them dealing with struggles such as eviction or homelessness, when they’ve lost childcare, health insurance or transportation, or they may just be wrestling with making ends meet and paying bills on time.

Mendoza said that while they don’t have a magic wand and cannot always remedy every problem, they can very often connect students to what they know works, and often those are resources within the college that students don’t already know about, such as the RUST Scholarship and the CNM Food Pantry.

            Given that CNM’s website acknowledges having the largest student body in the state, she wants people to understand that Wellness CNM is still a small group. While they don’t currently have the capacity or funding to provide every student with the immediate resources they may need, they are working to triage and allocate aid to students as quickly as possible.

Mendoza also wants them to be informed that she and her team are working to create a ‘culture of care’. She says that this means understanding that mental health and basic needs impact everyone, and Wellness CNM wants to help everyone at the college develop an attitude of caring for themselves, and for their fellow learners.

Part of this holistic approach means that students should look out for one another. “If you see something, say something.” She said that she’d like to underscore to students that if they know that a fellow student may be struggling, they can contact the center and make an anonymous report. “We are not here to get students in trouble, right, so the information students share with us does not leave our office. It doesn’t go to your faculty members, it doesn’t go to any other students,” she said, emphasizing that any information disclosed at the center is kept strictly confidential.

            She recommends that students check out the Wellness CNM website, which contains info on the center, as well as tools for success, such as the ‘Eight Dimensions of Wellness’, the Active Minds organization, links to resources, and details about upcoming events.

 “Mental health matters. Physical health matters. You matter,” said Mendoza, “so using these resources, connecting with us, knowing that you’re not so isolated helps students succeed. We know that this program helps students stay in school, we know that it helps get them through the challenges they’re experiencing, and I think we all need that support sometimes.”

To contact Wellness CNM, you can visit http://www.cnm.edu/mentalhealth, email wellness@cnm.edu, or call (505)224-3000.

A little cooler for the Fall Semester

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Robert Slevin
Senior Reporter

Temperatures soured into the low 100’s for weeks straight at the end of the summer semester
here at CNM and students are happy that’s over.

Gabriel Herrera, a nursing student at CNM, says “in July he felt as though every day was a 100+
degrees outside.”

“Everywhere I went it was hot, even at home, it just felt like the AC wasn’t working even though
it was on just about 24/7”, he stated.

Herrera was asked what he did to try and beat the heat, and he responded by saying, “he would
jump in the pool when possible and just try to sit in front of a fan or an A/C vent.” “He also
mentioned going to CNM main campus to do homework and study as their A/C worked quite
well.”

With the heat down and Fall classes two weeks in, Gabriel says “he fells confident and cooler!”

ECOS

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Robert Slevin

Senior Reporter

The Executive Council of Students (ECOS) is a form of student body government at CNM and they meet every Monday at 5:00 pm, via Microsoft Teams to discuss issues and interests students may have while also trying to offer possible solutions.

In addition, ECOS determines what amount of allocation funds all other student groups, clubs, and committees receive while also offering other monetary stipends and fundraising ideas for clubs with extra needs.

            “ECOS hopes to change the environment so that students come to us as a body with their questions and issues,” said ECOS Outreach Officer, Angela Lechuga.

ECOS plans on making this change by fully participating and trying to be more visible to students on CNM campuses.

As the group continues to grow and the student body becomes more aware of who they are the council plans to make changes by welcoming people with different mindsets and from different backgrounds, Lechuga said.

Students can present issues or interests to ECOS by filling out a request form from the ECOS website. Those requests will then be looked over and the ECOS executive committee will then decide on what makes the agenda, Lechuga said.

Meetings are open to all students and if the student body would like to request membership, they must attend 3 consecutive meetings, submit an application, and acquire a letter of recommendation from a CNM faculty member, Lechuga.

If students would like to attend a meeting they can use this Microsoft Teams link:

https://teams.microsoft.com/dl/launcher/launcher.html?url=%2F_%23%2Fl%2Fmeetup-join%2F19%3Ameeting_ZmU4OTUwMWYtY2IwMy00NWZhLWFhZTMtZmEyODFmOTE5NmYw%40thread.v2%2F0%3Fcontext%3D%257b%2522Tid%2522%253a%2522f50e076b-86a5-45f3-87b0-3f4d0ec5e94e%2522%252c%2522Oid%2522%253a%2522924e6a95-a80b-4bc2-a7f7-415e21495ee3%2522%257d%26anon%3Dtrue&type=meetup-join&deeplinkId=8c854e54-c5ce-4eda-9900-036aaf0df875&directDl=true&msLaunch=true&enableMobilePage=true&suppressPrompt=true

CNM Library Series: Anatomy Models

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By Senior Staff Reporter

Devonny Grajeda

Event Coordinator for CNM Libraries, Tiffany Tomchak wants all students to know that they are allowed to check out a variety of anatomical models from the library as needed for free.

For science classes the library has anatomical models, skeletal models, muscle models and different models that display organs and parts of the body, she said.

If people wanted to check out these models, they can go to the help desk inside the library, she said.

There are boxes at main campus that just have bones in them said Ms. Tomchak. People can examine the bones individually and, on a skeleton, to see it as a whole she said.

The limitations for these models are the same as the computers, she said. A 3-hour period of being able to use them or checking them in 15 minutes before the library closes, she said.

“So, for example the Main Campus library closed at 7:00pm so if you came in to check it out at 5:00pm you wouldn’t have utilized the full 3-hour period. You would have had to turn it in 15 minutes before the library closed,” she said.

Although most people only check them out for half an hour, she added.

This is yet another of the many resources the CNM library offers to CNM students. Continue to stay tuned to see what other resources that the CNM library offers that could help you during your time at CNM!

CNM Library Series: Laptops

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By Senior Staff Reporter

Devonny Grajeda

Event Coordinator for CNM Libraries, Tiffany Tomchak wants all students to know that they are allowed to check out laptops from the library as needed and for free.

There is a kiosk or what could be called a little vending machine that has a barcode scanner and a touch screen, she said.

Students can use their student ID and scan it, which will then cause the machine to register a laptop to them and it will then be ejected out to the students, she said.

The checkout period is either 3 hours or 15 minutes before the library closes whichever comes first since it is not permitted to keep them over night, she said.

Once a student is done with them they can slip them back into the machine and they are all set, she said.

The kiosk locations consist of two at main campus SRC holding 18 between the two of them.

For locations at other campuses please check in with library staff on those campuses, she said.

This is only one of the many resources the CNM library offers, stay tuned to hear what other resources the CNM library offers that could potentially help you at during your CNM career!

CNM Library Series: The Basics

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By Senior Staff Reporter

Devonny Grajeda

The CNM libraries provides numerous resources that many students may not be aware of. Tiffany Tomchak, Event coordinator for the CNM libraries gave her insight on all the resources available to students and expressed her joy of wanting to help students. 

She said that the basics of what students can use at the library can be found at 

https://subjectguides.cnm.edu/how-to-use-the-library

“This one website I use a lot when teaching classes about library and it has a pretty good overview of various resources that the library offers as well as some tutorials on offering basic services,” she said.

When a student first starts off at CNM there is so much that they are learning for the first time, she said. 

Like how to just be in college, managing your time with classes, plus a possible part-time job, or family responsibilities she added. Those are a lot of demands on someones time and attention, she said. 

The library is a tool meant to help make it easier for students and make it so their getting the most out of their college experience, but she understands it can feel like it is just another thing that they have to pay attention to and learn even though they are already so tired, she said.

“We’re not here to increase your cognitive load or stress you out, we really are here to help. That’s really the main thing I would want students to know is if you’re feeling overwhelmed or stressed out, there is probably something in the library that can help,” said Ms. Tomchak.

Figuring out the interface of the library may feel like it can take a lot of extra time, but it will ultimately save you time because the content available is going to be more useful than other resources said Ms. Tomchak.

Also check out The Main Website for the Library https://www.cnm.edu/depts/libraries

For other things that can be offered.

Leonardo magazine

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Staff reporter 

Joshua Duvall-Houston

Staff reporter

Robert Slevin

Leonardo magazine is a student art and literature magazine that publishes CNM students, short fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, visual arts, and essays, said student editor Isabella Zamarchi.

Students can enter submissions on the webpage, which is leonardomag.com, and you have to be a current CNM student to submit your work to the magazine, she said. 

Students and faculty can get copies of the magazine by going to on campus libraries, where there will be current issues or accesses all past issues going back to 2012 on the website, she said. 

It is important to Leonardo staff to promote the work of young artists and student writers and to give them the opportunity to get experience submitting their work, said Zamarchi. 

“We believe that art pushes boundaries and can spur personal change and growth in the larger community; it’s a way to open people’s minds, push the limits, expand consciousness, and draw attention to issues within our society,” she said. 

Leonardo is published once a year in April, said Zamarchi. 

Every April, there is a release party where students can read their work, talk with other writers, and build the community a little bit; all CNM students and faculty are welcome to attend, she said. 

There are also poetry nights that happen twice a year, one before publication and one after. The one after is to highlight the people who got published, said Zamarchi. 

The magazine has been in print since 1991, so 32 years, she said.

Leonardo is very loosely affiliated with CNM so it is not advertised or accessible through the CNM website, said Zamarchi. 

Daylight Savings Time Change

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by

Robert Slevin/Staff Reporter

Daylight Savings is fast approaching. March 12th marks the day when clocks will spring an hour forward yet again for New Mexicans.

“This loss of an hour of daylight in the morning, yet a gain in the evening messes with people’s biological clocks and sleep schedules, especially our grade school aged youth.” According to an article written by Dan McKay with the Albuquerque Journal in 2019.

On the other hand, there are some who say they benefit and enjoy the time change in Spring. Matthew Roach a CNM student said, “I like it in the spring when it’s still light out when I get home from work after 6pm. I can still do stuff.”

Losing an hour of sleep to gain an extra hour of sunshine has been quite a debate and has been for years.

One thing that you can do to keep Daylight Savings or do away with it all together is to vote. New Mexico is currently asking voters if, in getting rid of the twice-a-year clock change, they would prefer switching to permanent standard time or permanent daylight savings time.

Basic Needs As Human Rights Survey

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By Web Designer and Staff Reporter Jonathan Wolfgang

CNM and others in higher ED are assessing need within the community, all students, and staff are invited to participate in the survey. With a chance to win a one of 150 gift cards with a $40 value for Amazon or Walmart.

The goal of the survey is to create awareness and fund support services to prioritize basic needs of students and employees, all responses will be anonymous.

https://s2.bl-1.com/h/ds7kRMgy?url=https://survey.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_d4NyzVMIJN3IzI2

Please contact Renee Quintana of CNM’s Office of Data Strategy if you have any questions. She can be reached at rquintana66@cnm.edu

Street Food Institute Back In Action. 

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By Staff Reporter

Joshua Duvall-Houston.

CNM has food services available at the main campus in the form of contracted food trucks, the suncat café that is run by the bookstore and the cafeteria on main campus. 

The CNM cafeteria at main campus is ran by the Street Food Institute (SFI), which is a nonprofit and an extension of the culinary arts program at CNM as said by Tina Garcia-Shams the executive director of the Street Food Institute. 

SFI has been working with CNM for 9 years by allowing culinary students opportunities to participate in internships working in the CNM cafeteria kitchen, food trucks, and within other food industries jobs, she said. 

SFI attempts to highlight student ideas and recipes in the kitchen and they try to source all of there baked goods from student owned small businesses, she said. 

The cafeteria is open from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm Monday to Thursday and serves a variety of fresh food cooked from scratch like breakfast burritos, sandwiches, soups, and deli items, she said.  

“SFI has very competitive prices and is beginning to revamp operations at CNM recently since pandemic regulations have eased, unfortunately, at the moment we do not have the staff to be open in the evening at the moment, but we hope to see the student body come get some of our delicious and healthy food this semester,” said Garcia-Shams. 

Parking at CNM

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By Staff Reporter

Robert Slevin

Students at CNM need to purchase a parking permit that is available through the CNM website or from Student Parking Services.

According to Fleet Compliance Manager, Michael Griego, all CNM parking officers follow the same protocol when it comes to checking vehicles parked on campus. If you do not possess a valid permit, you can obtain a temporary day pass from parking services or from a fleet compliance officer directly, he said.

CNM main campus has general and reserved lots, but all other campuses only have general lots, he said. 

Griego also stated that, “After 4pm, essentially all reserved lots become general lots.”

If you are just visiting a CNM campus for the day and are not a student, you also will have to park in either a meter parking space or visit the Parking Services office on campus and they will provide you with a day pass, said Griego.

Big Day for CNM Students

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On Thursday, November the third CNM was visited by President Joe Biden, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, Senator Ben Ray Lujan, and Congressional Representatives Melanie Stansbury and Teresa Leger Fernandez

President Biden reaffirmed his commitments to reduce economic burdens for students. However, as of the time of this publication, it should be noted that the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals has deemed the measure unconstitutional. It is not known if the injunction will be appealed (Source CNBC).

While speaking, President Biden stated that the vast majority of holders of student debt are in delinquency and will most likely never pay their dues back to the federal government. Forgiveness allows the government to focus its forces on recouping viable loans. While allowing forgiven borrowers to avoid financial destitution.

By Senior Staff Reporter; Jonathan Wolfgang

Please see our coverage below;

President Biden
Teresa Leger Fernandez, Melanie Stansbury, and Ben Ray Luján
Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham

Sexual Health Stations at CNM

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By: Devonny Grajeda

Senior Staff Reporter

CNM is introducing new sexual health stations on campus that are supposed to help students feel comfortable regarding sexual health. Former Phi Theta Kappa President and CNM graduate student Analaura Prado came up with the idea to implement sexual health stations around CNM’s campus.

Ms. Prado & PTK members were inspired by UNM’s sexual health stations around campus which had sexual health stations scattered around the campus she said. She then thought that the sexual health stations could benefit CNM as well.

For now, the stations are mainly located at main campus, later they might add on around the rest of the campus she said. Right now, one of the stations is located downstairs in the boys and girl’s restroom near the library she said.

“Even though I’m not president or even a student at CNM I’m still happy I can be a part of it. Or still kind of be a part of it since it was my idea,” said Ms. Prado.

The stations have latex condoms, pregnancy tests and bookmarks on how to take them, and informational sheets regarding sexual health she said.

Right now, the future of the stations is to focus on expanding to other CNM locations and possibly adding new items such as pads and tampons. Everything is still a work in progress, kind of a trial and error, having adjustments, and finding funding she said.

“The purpose basically is for students to be comfortable and just go in the bathroom and take what they need but not too much, I hope. Use it without judgement because I know it can be kind of nerve wrecking to buy it in stores and get it in front of people. Comfort is one of the main things” she said. The stations are meant to serve the students and give back to students at CNM she said. Mostly for comfort, resources, and just having that outlet for these types of situations she added

Showing up for a successful Summer Term

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By Truett Jackson

Staff Reporter

            Summertime can be filled with endless distractions. The kids are out of school, the weather is beautiful, and work doesn’t stop. Add in the fact that the term itself is shorter than the others, and students can quickly start to feel like they’re falling behind.

            “I didn’t think that taking ten credits in the summer would be so much work,” said Stacy G., a 22-year-old Radiology Tech student at CNM.  “The work started to pile up, but I’ve reorganized my time, and now it’s getting a lot easier.”

            Doris Gasangwa, a first-year medical student, has some tips for her classmates that she says have come to help her get through the summer.

            “Create a study space,” she said. “Having a dedicated study area will really help build the separation that you need in order to put you in a study mindset.”

            Gasangwa says that it’s ok to be selfish with your time when you’re studying. “It’s OK to say ‘no’ to plans!”

            She says that the most important thing is to take care of yourself, and it’s OK to say no to things that stress you out, things that divide your focus, and people in your life that can be energy vampires or time wasters.

            “The list could go on!”, said Gasangwa.  “Someone very wise once told me that it’s OK to say ‘no’, and later on, it’s always easier to change a ‘no’ into a ‘yes’ then to change a ‘yes’ into a ‘no’.”

            She says that it is vitally important to take care of yourself emotionally, mentally, and physically. Making time to work out, to talk with friends, and checking in on those that you care about all add to your personal wellness and emphasizes that your own health is just as important as your future patients’.

            As obstacles arise and the fear of missing out creeps in, summer can bring on the stress. Taking time for self-care and sticking to a schedule can mean the difference between an ‘A’ and a ‘D’.

            “Keep up good communication with your professors and classmates,” said Stacy G. “Make sure to put everything on the calendar, and don’t miss those due dates, even for the smaller assignments. And don’t ever assume that online classes will be easier, because they’re not.”

            She also wants to remind fellow students that there are many resources that they can utilize right on CNM campus to help them stay on track, such as visiting with a tutor, seeing an advisor, and starting a study group.

            “I love my anatomy study group we’ve set up,” she said. “Since I don’t have time to socialize too much, I get to learn and have fun at the same time. It’s just once a week, but it really helps.”

            If a student is having major difficulties and doesn’t know where to turn, Wellness CNM is always a great way to find support and is always confidential.

To find more info about tutoring, advisors, or Wellness CNM, students can call 505-224-3000.

Guiding CNM’s educators in understanding mental health

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By Truett Jackson

Staff Reporter

            Charnia Parrish and Nikki Purkeypile are advisement staff and part-time instructors at CNM who are very keen on mental health first-aid and are working to share these techniques with other faculty, staff, and administrators.

            Purkeypile, who was first trained in this area eleven years ago, said that last year Wellness CNM committed itself to having in-house, permanent trainers in mental health first-aid.

            “I think that Charnia and I are both people who are very passionate about this, and so people kind of found us somehow … people identified that we were passionate about this and asked us if we wanted to become certified trainers.”, said Purkeypile.

            Parrish, who co-heads the program, said that this is an area that fit her expertise. “I have a background working in psych, so that coupled with my major, this was the logical thing to do, and I was happy to do so. I completed the training, like Nikki did, about a year ago. I think of this as an expansion of Wellness CNM’s services; in addition to the other wraparound services that they’re re-introducing, having mental health first-aid for staff and faculty was a logical extension of that, as not only a way to help students, but also ourselves and each other.”

            The training itself involves a whole day, in-person training with the instructors, as well as pre-work that the teacher-students study beforehand. A specific technique used is referred to with the acronym ALGEE.

            This technique is where staff and faculty are trained to first approach and assess. They determine whether there is a risk of suicide or harm, and assist. They then listen, non-judgmentally, to the student, and give reassurance and information. The next step is to encourage them to seek the appropriate professional help, and further encourage them in ways such as self-help and other support strategies.

            “Following that format, whatever steps are appropriate at that time, allows us to possibly extend help to someone; letting them know that there is hope for recovery.”, explained Parrish.

            Purkeypile agreed that the ALGEE technique has been shown to produce positive outcomes. “ALGEE first-aid is also important for early intervention before something is a crisis, so it starts from the regular concern side of the spectrum, to more concerned, to crisis. So, intervening early leads to better outcomes and more hope of recovery. Just like a physical injury … many of us have needed first aid in our lives. So, it’s a similar premise: what can we do immediately, to help someone right now? And so that can prevent worse outcomes, but on the other end, it can create better outcomes. Get people support early.”

            The pair noted that they believe in providing additional supports wherever possible for those in need, identifying and recognizing when someone is in crisis, and granting grace wherever possible. They also see a successful future for the course and its outcomes.

            “I would like to see more staff and faculty get trained. I think we’ve had more of the administrative side trained than faculty, and I see that interest is expressed. In my ideal world, if we are teaching three to four classes a year, I would like after four years for us to have trained most of the people here. That’s what I’d love to see.”, said Parrish.

            “Four years?”, commented Purkeypile, “I love that.”

CNM’s Mental health first-aid course is open to faculty, staff, and administrators. Part-time faculty is encouraged to reach out to their associate dean for eligibility info. All information regarding future courses and enrollment can be found by contacting Wellness CNM at 505-224-3000.