Student News

Women’s Trade Summit

Story by

Devonny Grajeda

Staff Reporter

Official poster for the Women’s Trade Summit.

The women’s trade summit is an event that will help women look for a job and networking opportunities within the areas of HVAC, plumbing, carpentry, diesel mechanics, insulators, laborers, electricians, and more said Amy Ballard, Dean for the school of Applied Technologies.

The event will take place Friday, March 18th from 9am-3pm at the CNM main campus inside Smith Brasher hall.

This event can help women find mentorships as well as allow them an opportunity to ask questions directly to women who are working in trade fields right now, she said. 

There will be speakers such as presidents and representatives of companies, there will also be a panel consisting of women who work in different trades and they will be speaking on issues they have had to deal with inside their individual fields, she added.

This event is important for many reasons, the first reason being the ability to learn about the types of compensation, what kind of job availability there is, and what kind of opportunities can come from a career in trades for women, she said.

Then there is a need to let women know that there is incredible demand out for these positions out there right now she added.

Lastly, these jobs create great pathways to even better jobs, she said.

“For example, even if you start as a carpenter or plumber it’s not a far step to creating your own business or becoming a manager. Women may not realize that these jobs can be a launchpad to bigger and better things, there is a lot of money to be made these days, ” she said.

Companies are in need of highly skilled trade people she said. So much so that right now some companies have billboards advertising that they will offer up to a $10,000 sign on bonus for skilled HVAC employees. 

Getting involved in trades is not something that can be started tomorrow she said.

Education and training are required, but it will not be too long before a women can receive a high paying job she added.

“We would also like to see a stronger presence of women inside trades considering it is a male dominated field, the transition for women is happening in politics, medicine, science so there is no reason why trade fields can’t be the next frontier for women to become pivotal and pioneering“ she said.

Women can really empower themselves by hearing the stories of other women who also felt scared to take the leap into a male dominated field, but who are now successful and own their own businesses and love the trades, she said. 

“We hope the event will become a spring board for these speakers and mentors to help start something much greater for women in trades,” she said. 

The event will have vender booths from different companies such as Sandia Labs, Meta(FaceBook), and APD for those looking for jobs, she said.

If interested in attending this event you may sign up using the link provided below.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/new-mexico-women-in-trades-summit-tickets-273089286407

Calling All Artists

Story by

Devonny Grajeda

Staff Reporter

Faculty Advisor of CNM’s visual arts magazine Leonardo, Carly Harschlip said she is inviting all CNM students to attend the first ever Leonardo Open Mic Night.

The event is for all CNM students and will be hosted via zoom on November 12th from 7:00-8:00PM she said.

If students would like to attend/preform they can email Leonardo at leonardo@cnm.edu and they will then be added to the list, she said. Or they can go to their website under Blog and Events to sign up as well, she said.

The Leonardo Open Mic Night is intended to provide students with a venue that will be fun and interactive while allowing students to show off their creative sides, “It will allow students to share their creative work and have a sense of community, which is important for them,” she said.

Finding a community that a student can share their feelings with is just as important as taking a class. It is a big step to share creative work and it can be scary, but it can also be worth it she said.

Attending the Leonardo Open Mic Night may teach a student something about themselves, they may even come to find out they might have stage fright, she said.

She said, “Being a college student is also about exploring things and finding your place in the world.”

COVID has made things a bit harder by making everyone more isolated. Of course, one Open Mic Night is not going to change everything but it is a start she said.

Students are also welcome to attend the event as audience members only and are not required to share if they do not wish too, she said.

If students do not feel ready for either of those then perhaps they may find interest in working with Leonardo, which has been a part of CNM since 1991 and is celebrating their 30th anniversary this year, she said.

She said, “Leonardo hopes to get people interested in the magazine itself. Or, to contribute if they want to be an editor perhaps at some point or they want to submit their work to it in print which is important for any beginning writer.”

Return of the Balloon Fiesta

Pictures and Story by

Salvador Zambrano

Staff Reporter/Graphic Designer

The calm before the storm
The Sun begins to peek over the Sandias
Star Wars themed balloons
A Storm Trooper stands at the ready
Multicolor balloons
The blue sky is filled with many balloons
People watch in amazement as balloons begin to rise
The famous 3 Bees await their takeoff
A crew gives their final goodbye before liftoff
A balloon sports the Mexican flag
Various balloons fly high in the sky
Various balloons begin their takeoff

2020 was the year COVID-19 began. During the year lots of events were canceled to protect people from outbreaks of the virus. One event affected was The famous Balloon Fiesta. After taking the year off Balloon Fiesta made it’s return for the 2021 season.

Balloon fiesta park was filled with many spectators waiting to see the many balloons take off into the sky. This year 866,414 guests made their way to the park during the 9 day period.

The Balloon fiesta picked up right where it left off with a total of 588 balloons making an appearance this year. 671 pilots also made the trip from around the world for this years event. The Albuquerque community seemed full of life after the return of the Balloon Fiesta.

A New Perspective

Story by

Devonny Grajeda

Staff Reporter

A full-time English instructor, Tammy Wolf, said that teaching online can be difficult because there is still work to be done explaining concepts of online classes.

In-person classes allowed her the ability to explain topics face-to-face, which can be easier, she said.

She added that teachers do not like sending students “out of the shell” because an ad can pop up, making it hard for students to stay focused.

“It’s not fair to the students either in some ways because if you don’t love reading, now you have to read all your instructions, you have to read all the support materials… which can be harder for students who don’t read as much,” she said.

The two groups she thought that were the most affected were students who have never learned online and teachers who have never taught online, she said.

She said her biggest obstacle has been isolation. Most of the time, she is at home in her office, grading, which she said could be overwhelming at times.

Wolf said it was not until Christmas last year that she realized the pandemic would not end quickly, and class would not be in person for a while.

She said she misses seeing students challenging one another’s ideas or getting that aha moment when everything starts to make sense. She said that is why she wants students to reply to one another on discussions and ask questions.

She also mentioned how students do not get to see the passionate side of their teachers.

“We just turn into this robot that you’re emailing.” A massive disconnect is present between teachers and students, she said.

Wolf adds that students are tired, and everyone is dealing with so much amid a pandemic, she worries about students who are losing their drive to continue.

Compared to in the beginning when she believed that students as well as teachers may have enjoyed having a break and being online for a little bit.

“Now we’re over it,” she added, “but students need to just keep going, it’s going to get better, just keep going were all in it together, and I know there’s a real divide between faculty and students, but we’re cheering you on, and we want to see everybody succeed.”

Construction on Catering/Brewery Enters the Black Phase

Story and Photos by

Mark Graven

Staff Reporter

  • The Black Phase.
  • The End Game.

Construction on the Catering Brewery Facility at Robert P. Matteuchi Hall continues, and has entered the Black Phase, as pictured on September 28.

The project has already passed through yellow and light blue phases, but must undergo a metamorphosis into creamy white, before it is complete, according to architectural renderings prepared by FBT Architects of Albuquerque.

A rendering of the project, as finished, is displayed on a fence at the construction site on University Boulevard, just south of CNM’ s newly constructed Market Place.

General Contractor for the project is Brycon Construction of Albuquerque.

Vacant Homes Now Belong to CNM

Story and Photos by

Mark Graven

Staff Reporter

  • All Quiet at Former UNM Student Housing Parcel.
  • Peeking into the Future.

Behind sturdy fences, the former UNM student housing units, located on Buena Vista Avenue, await their future.

The units are located on a 13-acre parcel, that was recently sold by UNM to CNM. CNM has approved the acquisition for a price of 1.5 million, and UNM has approved the sale, according to CNM.

When the CNM Governing Board approved the acquisition in July, CNM officials said that they had not determined how they would use the property. At recent CNM meetings the idea that has been presented is to demolish the housing units, and build a state-of-the-art space for the applied technologies and trades programs.

But, as pictured on September 28, from Buena Vista Avenue, these unoccupied housing units, will have to wait to find out their precise fate.

Free Parking for UNM Students

Story and Photos by

Mark Graven

Staff Reporter

  • UNM shuttle bus on University Boulevard, on its way to pick up UNM students who park for free at the massive University Stadium parking lot.
  • University Stadium parking lot is brimming with cars, as UNM students park for free and catch a shuttle bus to their main campus. Two shuttle buses are visible in the background at a pickup point.

While CNM students have seen the imposition of paid parking for their campus lots, UNM students are able to skate on charges by parking at the massive University Stadium parking lot, south of the CNM campus.

Of course, if there is an athletic event, like a home Lobo football game, paid parking goes into effect, according to lot attendants.

But on a beautiful weekday afternoon, the University Stadium is brimming with cars, whose drivers had to pay nary a farthing for their place in the sun. Shuttle buses are ready to ferry UNM students to their main campus as soon as the students park. It is about a mile walk that some students might not want to endure in the afternoon sun.

The red Lobo shuttle busses are highly visible as they go to and from the Stadium lot to Main campus, via University Boulevard.

Lot attendants are scooting about in their golf carts to monitor the situation, but everything seems peaceful and calm. There may be no such thing as a free lunch these days, but for UNM students there is free parking.

UNM Pond starts to Get Ducks in a Row

By Mark Graven

Staff Reporter

  • Turtles are hard to impress
  • Paddling fun
  • Ducks in a row

On a brilliant sunny afternoon of September 15th, at the UNM Duck Pond, the duck population is growing, and calling itself to order.

In midsummer, the duck population had fallen below 20 ducks. Now ducks are returning from their summer vacations in northern latitudes, and beginning to settle in for fall and winter.

Today there are more than forty ducks, paddling about, or watching from the pond’s edge, where they naturally line up in rows to observe the turtles, sunning on pond rocks, and humans who recline in the shade of trees, or sit on benches surrounding the water.

It’s a far cry from the hundreds of ducks the pond regularly hosts in the winter, and certainly not enough to impress the turtles, who are rock-solid residents of the pond year around. Yes, indeed, the turtles are hard to impress.

Blue Skies Canopy Fall Semester Opening

Story and Photos by

Mark Graven

Staff Writer

  • Message in blue: “Be Exceptional.”
  • Full parking lot at Student Services Center.
  • Catering/Brewery moves into light blue construction phase at RPM.

Skies are blue–albeit a bit hazy– as the Fall Semester at CNM kicks into gear.

The parking lot is full in front of the Student Services center. Meanwhile, students are able to get directions and information from a booth set up as part of “Suncat Days,” by the stairs near Max Salazar Hall.

Across University Boulevard, construction on the Catering Services/Brewery at Robert P. Matteuchi Hall continues, and is going through a light blue phase (as if to match the skies).
On the North side of Main Campus, a billboard on E Building beams out a strong message in blue: it looks like “E” stands for being “exceptional” at CNM.

Career Connections That Keep People Smiling

Story by Angela Harrington

Staff Reporter

Photo provided by Dental Wellness. Pictured: Leyra Leyva (CNM graduate), Viridiana Murga, Dr. Fielfer Murga, Zoila Murga, Gladis Sanchez (CNM graduate), Jorge Gastelum

The CNM Dental Assisting Program has a positive impact for students and dentists alike.

When Dr. Fielfer Murga bought his practice, Dental Wellness, he knew that the staff he would be hiring would need to be a good fit for the team, so he reached out to CNM to help him.

“When I purchased the practice, the previous doctor told me that he had some connections with CNM. Then a graduate of the program came in to apply and we liked her and her work, so we contacted CNM that we wanted to work with their students,” Dr. Murga said.

One such student is 2018 CNM graduate Leyra Leyva. She said that it wasn’t until after she started attending CNM that she decided to enter the Dental Assisting Program.

“Once I started the program, I really realized how important it is to take care of your teeth,” Leyva said.

Leyva was sent to Dental Wellness for her second clinical assignment, and she has been employed there since that time, she said.

Dr. Murga said, “That’s why I like the program, because sometimes you can tell if a potential employee is a good match for you. Every dentist is different, so sometimes there is a match for me and sometimes not. If it is definitely a match, we will hire them on the spot!”

2019 CNM graduate Gladis Sanchez, said she knew before she started taking classes that she wanted to complete the Dental Assisting Program.

Her first clinical assignment brought her to Dental Wellness, and she was hired.

“I have learned a lot here. I love it!” Sanchez said.

Dr. Murga said that the people he likes to hire are those that love to ask questions and who are curious. 

CNM graduate Jennifer Medina received her certificate just a couple of weeks ago and is happy to be a part of the team at Dental Wellness, she said.

“Once I took the dental science class at the beginning of the program, I thought it was really interesting and I knew that this was the program for me,” Medina said.

When it comes to staffing his practice, Dr. Murga said that CNM has been, and will continue to be, a great resource for him.