By: Hilary Broman
Staff Reporter, January 17, 2017
Anaissa Salgado has found her passion in the surveying program at CNM, she said.
The field of surveying combines Salgado’s love for math and her desire to have a job where she can work outdoors, she said.
“I didn’t know if there was a career for that,” she said.
Salgado discussed her career interests with one of her instructors who introduced her to Ron Forstbaur, a CNM surveying instructor.
Forstbaur introduced Salgado to the surveying program and showed her the equipment that they use as well as how they use trigonometry and angles out in the field, she said.
“It was amazing,” she said. “I knew that this was it!”
Salgado immediately decided to change her major, she said.
“She came into my office and said ‘I found what I want to do with the rest of my life,’ said Joe Schaub, an achievement coach for the school of applied technologies.
When Salgado decided to join the surveying program it had already been two weeks into the semester and Joe Schaub went above and beyond to help her get into the program, she said.
“As an achievement coach, I work with students to help them find what they want to do and Anaissa exudes what I hope every student will find and that’s doing something you love,” Schaub said.
After the first week in the program Salgado was already caught up because she was excited about what she was learning, she said.
Salgado regularly attends New Mexico Professional Surveyors meetings to network and gain experience, she said.
“She’s hanging out with professionals right now, she’s acting like one of them, she’s not walking in and acting like an intimidated student,” said Schaub.
Salgado is also the leader of the CNM team that is scheduled to attend the National surveying competition in Washington, D.C. this March, Forstbaur said.
“I want to lead,” Salgado said, “I was a little bit nervous at the beginning but it’s like being thrown into the water, that’s the best way to learn how to swim.”
Salgado recognizes that surveying is a male dominated profession but that inspires her even more to become a licensed surveyor, she said.
“Surveying is an excellent opportunity for women and to see a young woman getting in here and being excited about it is just wonderful for the profession,” said Forstbaur.
Salgado also is helping with the recruiting process for the program and hopes to get high school students excited about the surveying program at CNM, she said.
“I know when I was in high school I never stopped to think about what I wanted to do after high school I just wanted to be done. I hope that we can change that mindset for students,” she said.
The third major was the charm for Salgado, she switched from business to drafting and finally found her passion in the surveying program, she said.
Salgado is an excellent example of a student who goes after what they want and always gives one hundred percent, said Schaub.
Salgado has almost completed the surveying program at CNM and hopes to complete her four-year degree at NMSU and graduate as a licensed surveyor, she said.
“I want to be the new face of surveying,” she said.
