Category: Student Spotlights

Pursuing Her Passions in Film and More

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leahPhoto by: Hailey Tolleson/Chronicle photo

Leah Leyva poses Oct. 15 on the set of High Stakes at the college’s ATC building. The film is a project in CNM’s film program. Leyva worked on the film as director and co-writer.

By Ashley Shickler

Chronicle reporter

Leah Leyva is a full-time student in CNM’s film program who says she finds time to pursue her passions outside of school. 

As a child, Leyva was often surrounded by family members in the music singing and dancing scene, she says.

“When I was a little infant my parents told me that I would sing. My dad was in a few bands, my parents sang in the church choir, my sister is a dancer, and everyone plays the guitar, so I just always did it,” she says.

Leyva earned her film technician certificate from CNM  in 2011, but it wasn’t until recently that she came back to receive an associates.

“I recently found out that they are offering an associate degree in film, which they hadn’t offered before, so I thought it would be good idea to go back and get that,” she says.

Leyva says she likes how students get to learn about film theory and do some hands-on film-making.

“I like to direct my own short films and music videos. I always have a project and things I am writing on in my free time,” she says.

Leyva on her own has been writing a science-fiction TV show for the past three years that she hopes eventually will air, and she is working on a feature film idea in the fantasy genre, also on her own. At CNM, she has been working on short films, including High Stakes and a sequel, Luann’s Handmade Leather Goods.

“Taking the film program has been a lot of help in helping me put together my own projects outside of class,” she says.

On top of that, Leyva drives Uber and helps her brother out with his carpet cleaning business, while taking care of seven cats, two dogs and one turtle.

Leyva has also tried out for the show “American Idol.”

“It went good, and I feel good about what I did, even though I didn’t get through. I auditioned twice here in Albuquerque, once in Denver, and once in Salt Lake City. The first time I got through a few rounds, and then the last three times I haven’t gotten through at all,” she says.

Leyva says she hasn’t always been confident when it comes to performing in front of people.

“I have been really trying to battle it. … One of the biggest triumphs for me at the ‘American Idol’ audition was just going and doing it, feeling confident when I was doing it and feeling confident about what I did, because I definitely haven’t always felt that way,” she says.

Leyva has some advice for students who are in the process of attending school while trying to pursue their passion: “Try and stay focused on your dreams and what you need to do to get there, and just enjoy the ride. if you can enjoy the journey rather than thinking about how much you’re going to enjoy the end result, and stay focused on the present, that’s more when you’ll notice the good stuff start to happen.”

Leyva is an acquaintance of the reporter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Crossing CNM’s Finish Line: Laura Harris

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Story by: Audrey Scherer  

Photo by: Hailey Tolleson

As she completed her last term at CNM, Laura Harris described her experience as a boat ride.

“You have to get from A to B. You’ll have a bumpy ride in the middle, might feel sick sometimes, and might even want to quit and turn back around, but you know you want to get to the other side,” she said.

“I’m on the other side, now; I made it, no matter how scary it got. I made it.”

Although she was scared at first, she’s learned from her time at CNM that when she puts her mind to something, she can succeed.

She’s been able to keep up not only being a single parent but going to school and keeping her grades up and making sure that her head is above water, “instead of feeling like [she’s] drowning all the time,” she said.

“You can do better in life, no matter where you’re at.”

This is the mindset she had to be in, not only for herself but for everybody around her, she said.

Realizing that she can do it and be the best she can has helped her show her kids that they can do it too, she said.

Laura Harris came to CNM to make a better life for her kids. With no specialized training or degree, it was either wait tables her whole life, or find something to help her set her feet in the ground and become more than a simple minimum wage job, she said.

“I told my boss I’ve got to do something to change,” before she gave her two weeks.

She then went to the random classes at CNM she had signed up for just to make sure she got her feet in the door.

It became less for her kids and more for her as soon as she began.

She felt like she started later than most students at age 27 but going to CNM made her grow up and realize she wasn’t so young anymore, she said.

“That yes, I was an older student going to college, but I had to get my stuff together because if I didn’t, my life was just going to fall apart,” she said.

 “I’m not college material whatsoever. I did not want to go to college, but I found my passion after I started.”

She decided to study sociology and criminology to help those who have had prior drug and alcohol problems, and to get at least one person going down the right track, she said.

Sociology classes really hit home for her because she could recognize the connections between what she learned and the things she’s been through, and how people may react differently.

“I think that’s what grasped me first, and then I got that connection of where I wanted to go in the long run,” she said.

It clicked that this is what she wanted to do; not just for herself, but to better her kids’ lives, as well.

Since she started, Harris has gone full-time with an intersession course between each semester, totaling 6 intersessions, she said. The longest she’s had off is the 3-4 days between intersession and regular classes.

In addition, she can’t work when her kids are awake, so for two years straight she has been spending time with her kids in the day and doing homework after they go to bed, even if she had to stay up until 1 or 2 o’clock in the morning, she said.

She has a 3-year-old boy and a 7-year-old girl, and her daughter is a lot easier than her 3-year-old, she said.

It was a pleasure to sign up for Phi Theta Kappa because she was proud of her GPA, she said.

It was when signing up for Phi Theta Kappa that she knew she would be setting an example for not just her kids, but other college kids, as well.

Aside from Phi Theta Kappa, Harris didn’t have time for clubs with CNM. This is one of the biggest things about being a parent in school, she said.

If somebody is younger and they want to take advantage of being a part of a club, do it now while you have the chance, she said.

CNM made Harris feel much better about herself.

“I feel that I can succeed now,” she said.

“I’ve accomplished something; I have my feet in the ground and I can say that. It’s not just, ‘Oh, I’ve been a waitress;’ I’ve done something,” she said.

“I have a degree up on my wall to say this is me, this is what I’m striving for.”

She starts at UNM for her bachelor’s next semester.

“It’s been a long trek, but it’s worth it,” she said.

CNM classes have made her see the world not only from her perspective but from a broader perspective, and every class opens your mind and has you try something new, she said.

This is another thing that she likes about community college.

“It’s not just straightforward; it’s finding out who are, and where you need to be, and getting your feet set in the right direction before you go to a big college like UNM.”

Harris found the instructors to be very helpful. They are willing to work with you and point you in the right direction, she said.

If you’re honest with them when you don’t know what’s going on, they will give you good criticism on how to better your grade or work, or your understanding in a different way.

“They aren’t just teachers; they’re there to help us succeed in school,” she said.

“I don’t know how many instructors I’ve talked to in the past where I just felt like I was going to fail, and they have uplifted me to make sure that I knew that I was there for a purpose and that I was going to succeed,” she said.

Although she felt her English class was the hardest this semester, she found success by talking to her instructor. On one assignment, after talking with her teacher, she felt she was able to revise with six times more writing with much more detail, she said.

He didn’t tell her what she needed to do, but gave her ideas and pointed her in different directions to show her that she had a choice, she said.

Bad grades start to happen when you stop turning work in and give up on understanding the instructors, she said.

“If you wanted to go to college, keep up the work and keep doing the assignments, no matter how bad you think you did.”

You’re not the one grading your stuff; it’s the instructors- if they can see that you’re trying, that’s all that matters, she said.

When it comes to time management, don’t wait until the last minute, she said.

Setting aside time in the future “never works out that way, ever,” because of things like unexpected family or car problems, she said.

She uses Blackboard and its calendar reminders and found a countdown app for her phone that is like a calendar and allows you to enter assignments with due dates and track how long you have to complete each assignment.

The library has also been a big tool; the people sitting behind the desk can help you find what you need and show you how to best utilize your resources, she said.

You can also go to the ACE tutoring center and talk to the people that are in your class with you.

The instructors and the students around you are what a small community college is for, she said.

“It’s not a big university; we’re supposed to be there to help push each other,” she said. “CNM has strived for me to succeed.”

Harris has found that CNM is more tight-knit, and believes that so many people can pass their classes because they can turn to so many different people.

You just have to keep going, she said. “Never give up; that’s my biggest thing.”

“When you get to that point in the semester when you’re getting to the midterm or even to the final, and you feel like you’re just a failure, and you feel like you’re not gonna make it- don’t quit,” she said. “Try your hardest to keep going.”

She is afraid that, when she goes to UNM, she is not going to know how to find the resources she needs like she can at CNM.

She’s also afraid that that in the bigger classes, she will be left alone to figure it out on her own.

“I’d rather stay at CNM, but it’ll be ok; I’ll find my way,” she said.

Laura Harris is a classmate of the writer.

 

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CNM Student’s Dream Came True When She Went to NASA

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By Hilary Broman

Senior Staff Reporter

Antonella Riega, a biology and Spanish major, dreamt of going to NASA ever since she was a child, but she said that she never thought it was realistic.

After seeing a flier for the National Community College Aerospace Scholars program, she spoke to one of her friends who applied and Riega decided to apply too.

Riega was one of the students chosen out of 600 applicants to take the 5-week long online class.

The 5-week class focused on planning to create a rover that is meant to go to Mars.

The students who did well in the class were asked to go to the on-site experience at NASA, Riega said.

“I didn’t think I would get in,” she said, but at the end of the 5-week program Riega was invited to go to the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

Riega was surprised to see 3 more CNM students there.

“It was nice to see some familiar faces,” she said.

On the first day of the experience all the students were divided into small groups of about 6 people, she said. 

“Each group was a company and our mission was to get funds from NASA to send our rover to mars.”

Each person in the group was responsible for a different job such as; hardware design, software design, and publicity.

After they designed the rover they presented it to the NASA officials, and their rover was tested on how it moved and if it picked up rocks.

“Our rover kind of fell apart on the first time, it did okay but, in comparison to the other teams it didn’t do well,” Riega said, “But then in the second round we actually won!”

Riega and her team worked tirelessly to get the rover working, she said.

“Most days we woke up at 6am and worked all day until 2 or 3am into the next morning,” she said.

It was exhausting, but worth it, she said.

“We were mostly excited to see our rover work,” she said, “we were like, ‘Oh my god! We made this.”

Riega said that it was nice to see how in four days some random strangers could become really close.

“By the end of the four days we were all friends and we still talk to each other.”

After Riega’s experience she is reconsidering her childhood dream; working for NASA might not be as unrealistic as she thought.

Although working for NASA was always a dream of Riega’s as she grew older she realized that she wanted to go into medicine.

“I always thought that only engineers worked at NASA, but I found out that there is a surgeon who works at NASA who is also an astronaut,” she said.

Riega would like to finish her schooling and residency before she decides whether or not she wants to work for NASA, but it definitely an option, she said.

Riega’s advice for students who are thinking about applying for this program is to “just apply.”

“If you get into the online program don’t fall behind and if you get into the on-site experience, make the most of it.”

For more information about the National Community College Aerospace Scholars program click here

 

 

 

 

Student Spotlight: Jackie Tafoya

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Story and Photo by featured contributer Edward Oelcher

Blowing up ants, drawing, and not attending school was a normal childhood for CNM student Jackie Tafoya, unlike today a chemistry major hoping to graduate summer of 2017.

Not having a formal education and attending CNM isn’t as strange it may sound.

For Tafoya now eighteen years old says his mom taught him basic arithmetic so coming to CNM at the age of sixteen he didn’t feel completely incompetent but agrees that it was a bit of a struggle at first.

Recently students being homeschooled are now able to apply for dual-enrollment in college courses which led Tafoya to begin college.

He now studies chemistry and mathematics and hopes to obtain an associate degree, adding, “I took humanities classes but it was all kind of squishy where there is inductive reasoning and you can kind of put your opinion anywhere” he said.

Being home schooled hasn’t hindered Tafoya from graduating with a liberal arts degree in summer 2016, he also admits he is proud of maintaining a 4.0 GPA.

Now Tafoya says, “most of my life I felt dumber than a lot of people, I felt bad about that. Coming to CNM I realized it wasn’t so hard.”

For many young students they can agree that social situations are difficult at times realizing that there is tradeoff between social skills and academics.  

Tafoya does admit to struggling socially and that it may have been because he didn’t have many friends growing up so meeting people in college was difficult at first.

Like many young academics he wants to in some way to help humanity and believes that science can help him achieve that.

On his free time Tafoya can be found working with clay making stop motion or playing one of many favorite video games, Minecraft.

“I like the idea of trading perspectives and knowledge” Tafoya said when asked what he enjoys most about being a part of academic clubs at CNM.

It isn’t always about learning for Tafoya, who also enjoys the movie Interstellar, “I love the idea that humanity is going to die out because they couldn’t keep themselves alive and not because of some great disaster” he said.

Interestingly enough Tafoya jokingly mentions that he thinks humanities demise will come from “people just not being born so there won’t be anyone to replace the old” Tafoya said.

Growing up homeschooled and not having a formal education helped make Tafoya who he is adding, “I wouldn’t be the same person if it wasn’t for [being homeschooled] and maybe I’d just be some douche, I really can’t complain.”

So if you still haven’t gotten a clue yet Tafoya says he describes himself as uncomplacent, afraid of conformity (not that he doesn’t conform), and being intellectually mad.

“It’s not that I’m anti-conformist it’s just that I’m afraid to loose what fragments of individuality I have. I think the most interesting thing about me is that I exist” Tafoya said.

Tafoya hopes that when he finishes his associates degree he can work towards possible going to New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, but hasn’t yet made any final decisions.

Surveying Student Fueled by Passion

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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.

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“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.

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CNM Student Protest Pipeline

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Image by Heather Hay, Story by Edward Oelcher

Staff Reporter

Engineering major Shiela Hollow Horn said she wants all students to say no to the Dakota Access Pipeline (also known as DAPL) from polluting natural clean water.

Hollow Horn is directly involved in protesting DAPL locally in Albuquerque and nationally, she said.

“I am Lakota our tribe runs right along the Missouri River. So many tribes and reservations feel like it will directly affect them,” she said.

For those who have not heard about DAPL protests Hollow Horn said it is a peaceful protest.

“I’m proud of Albuquerque and the amount of support shown. People have all come together. We have support from around the world it is so positive and that’s actually going to make a change, people acknowledging this,” she said.

According to standingrockfactchecker.org , DAPL is a 1,172-mile pipeline being constructed in which they argue, “it is by far the safest way to transport energy liquids and gases.”

While according to a recent survey from 2010-2015 more than 350,000 barrels of pipeline spills occurred, the US Department of Transportation, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration reported.

The United States government signed a treaty that no one outside the tribes including the government will have access to that land which is why DAPL is in direct violation of that treaty, Hollow Horn said.

When they are running a pipeline it is high risk of poisoning the waters, particularly the Missouri River which runs through several states, oil spills occur each year many times, Hollow Horn said.

For anyone interested in getting involved visit local organizations like Red Nation and AIM Movement or any donation centers set up around Albuquerque.

“This is a problem for everyone it doesn’t matter your race, religion, background, because fresh water is essential to all life not just human beings,” Hollow Horn said.

Despite what is shown in the media the protesters are peaceful, but that is not what people will hear or see from the news broadcast stations, she said.

The main goal for being there is showing up to stop construction, these people are known as water protectors, she said.

They have successfully halted construction almost on a daily basis, until another court date is scheduled, even chaining themselves to heavy machinery, Hollow Horn said.

“Even President Barack Obama has acknowledged the protest,” she said.

Hatuk Hill, Hollow Horn’s husband, who is involved through American Indian Movement’s social media said, “We all have jobs to do but this is the only chance we have against huge corporations.”

People can get involved by writing congress and always asking questions, it is not a matter of how but when will they occur with oil spills, Hill said.

“My goal is to leave this Earth better than when I came into it, that is why we need to help protest DAPL,” Hill said.

Both Hill and Hollow Horn said that DAPL is still an ongoing issue.

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Beating the Odds

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By Hilary Broman, Photo credit Hilary Broman

Staff Reporter

April Vezie, a welding major was one of fourteen CNM students who competed in the National SkillsUSA competition and out of those fourteen she was the only female, she said.

Despite her hearing loss, Vezie has acquired a talent for public speaking, she said.

“Apparently I’m really good at it but sometimes I get so nervous that I forget my own name,” she said.

This was her second time competing in the extemporaneous speech category and her third time competing nationally, she said.

She placed fourth in the extemporaneous speech category, which is often referred to as speaking off the cuff, she stated.

Vezie is also the chapter president for SkillsUSA as well as the secretary for the Women Advancing in Trades and Technology chapter at CNM, she said.

In the extemporaneous speech category each participant is given a topic and five minutes to prepare their speech and this year Vezie’s topic was about what patriotism means to her, she said.

“Patriotism is not just being dependent on other people and other countries, it’s building up our own economy, loving our neighbors, and actually getting to know our neighbors. America today is not the same country I was brought up in,” she said.

Vezie grew up in New Mexico and she knew her neighbors well, she explained.

“If I got out of line not only was my neighbor going to spank me but when I got home I was going to get another spanking,” Vezie said laughing.

Although Vezie is a gifted public speaker her passion is welding, she said.

“I live to weld!” Vezie said with excitement.

Vezie is also adamant about choosing passion over talent, she said.

“I am a horrible welder. I’m probably the worst in the program but I love it. It’s important to find what you love and not let anything stand in your way,” Vezie said.

She likes to prove the naysayers wrong, she expressed.

“Don’t put limits on me,” said Vezie, “I used to wear leg braces as a kid. The doctors told me that I’d never be able to walk. Well yes I can!”

She also likes to show others that they can succeed too, she stated.

“Everyone has problems. It may be that they can’t hear. It may be that they can’t walk. Maybe they have a prison record. They shouldn’t let that stand in their way or let other people determine what they are capable of,” she said.

Vezie is entering her second year in the welding program at CNM and her first year was not without struggle, she stated.

“I’ve wanted to walk out. I’ve walked out of the classroom and didn’t want to come back,” Vezie said.

If not for the support of her classmates whom she considers family she would not have made it this far, she said.

Vezie plans to continue on her path to become a welder as well as compete in the SkillsUSA competition next year and she is ready to compete in welding, she said.

“My instructor, Chris Woods, challenged me to compete in the individual welding fabrication or sculpture category next year. He told me that it’s time to put on my big girl panties!” Vezie said smiling.

Vezie does hope to see more women compete and represent CNM next year, she said.

“I want to show that girls are pretty awesome and we can do it too!” she said.

At the end of November, the SkillsUSA chapter will start holding in house competitions and Vezie encourages students of all trades to compete, stated Vezie.

She encourages all CNM students to find something that they are passionate about and pursue it.

“It might take long, but you’ll get there,” she said.

To read April’s full inspirational speech click here: Skills speech

For a printable copy of this story click here: printable April Vezie.edit (1)

Student Spotlight: Nicole Tsosi

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Art By Nicole Tsosi

By Whitney Browneller, Staff Reporter

Nicole Tsosie is a Fine Arts and Digital Media major at CNM who was recently featured in the exhibition “Codes” at the Freestyle gallery on Central Avenue.

She primarily works with digital media to create her artwork but plans to keep working with different mediums in the future.

“I love to work with Photoshop when making my art. I love digital media but don’t want to tie myself down to one label. I think it’s great for artists to venture into as many things as they can get their hands on and it only seems healthy to get out of our own comfort zones,” she said.

She said she has always enjoyed art throughout her life, any type of art.

Nicole got into the arts while she was in school and remembers making a pattern that got a lot of recognition from her classmates, she said.

She got attention for her art more so than any other thing in school and found that her classmates were intrigued by her art.

“Growing up, I have always felt as though I am constantly stuck in my own head,” she said.

Nicole uses her art to overcome her own struggles and difficulties.

“I learned to turn my flaws around and use them as a gift,” she said.

Nicole’s artistic vision allows her to share her imagined world that is relatable to others.

“We all have our own flaws but with help we can use them for something good,” she said.

Nicole took several different types of classes during her first few semesters at CNM, including art classes.

“I realized that my art classes felt more right and natural,” she said.

Majoring in Fine Arts was a decision she made based on how she felt in her heart, and what she thought she would be happy with in the long run, she said.
She plans to one day bring her art to hospitals and senior homes to uplift peoples’ spirits, she said.

“I want to be able to brighten someone’s day with my artwork, who otherwise might not have any hope in their lives at the time,” she said.

After graduation with her digital media degree she wants to work on graphics and websites so she is able to use her art skills daily but also have stability for her family, she said.

She plans to still work on art in her free time and hopefully sell or donate art to places like hospitals and nursing homes that could use it, she said.

Nicole gets her inspiration from God, she said.

“I don’t have to look very far to find beauty and inspiration from nature,” she said.

Nicole specifically remembers using a cloud concept for one of her art projects a few semesters ago, she shaped different pieces of fabric in a way where each person could recognize something different but respond to same thing differently, she said.

“I feel like nature has a beauty that we cannot even begin to fathom, and I love putting organic and colorful ideas into my own art,” she said.

Nicole uses more of a mystical bright fantasy theme for her projects, it is how she is able to take her viewers into another world, she said.

She likes that this theme takes viewers out of their usual world, their usual way of things, and maybe get them to think differently, she said.

Nicole hopes to continue that in one way or another with her future art projects.

She said that she experiences artist block all the time and has a lot of self-doubt that she has to work around daily which keeps her from coming up with ideas.

She said the advice that she gives is to take a lot of breaks and know that it is okay to give oneself a lot of time because some of the best things in life take a lot of time.

Nicole also advises on having a good support group to help with problems of self-doubt.

“We all have amazing qualities to offer to this world, and sometimes we just need someone there to remind us,” she said.

Alumni Spotlight: Vincent LaVolpa

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By Guadalupe Santos-Sanchez, Managing Editor

Vincent LaVolpa is the owner of Green Joe Coffee Truck and a CNM alumni who has led an eventful life and is soon to add author to his list of accomplishments that started when he first enrolled at CNM.

“My story began at CNM and that’s kind of cool,” LaVolpa said.

LaVolpa dropped out of Highland High School and soon after enrolled at CNM to receive his GED.

He then enlisted in the Army but not before receiving a certificate in Call Center Operations from CNM, then TVI, he said.

He did a tour overseas in Iraq and Germany, and a year after returning home, enrolled again at the CNM paramedic program.

“I was an EMT basic, I had no experience and I was the only one in my class that they let through with no experience,” he said.

He worked for the Albuquerque Ambulance as a paramedic until 2013 and after was a lead paramedic at MD Urgent Care, he said.

He also went on to get his bachelor’s degree at UNM in the same field, he said.

“It had been about 10 years at that point that I went from the combat field to the emergency medicine field and I was just tired of kind of seeing people kill each other,” he said.

LaVolpa wanted something different, so the thought was to open up a coffee shop, he said.

He had been working as the operations director of a local nutrition fitness company 70 hours a week, 6 to 7 days a week, he said.

“It paid well but I never got to see my wife and it was just a mess, so I remember having the conversation with my wife, very specifically saying, I think I want to open a coffee truck,” he said.

Green Joe in Italian is the Guiseppe Verde, and the Guiseppe Verde was a transatlantic passenger ship that made voyages from Italy to Ellis Island and brought his grandfather to this country, he said.

“So I named the coffee shop after that vessel because that was the vessel that he used to follow his American dream, and this is the vessel that I’m using to follow my American dream,” he said.

LaVolpa gave the truck an Italian feel with the canopy, the shutters, and the red and white checkered floor, he said.

And the whole idea behind the old newspapers on the ceiling of the truck was to have a little bit of America’s history up there, he said.

“The whole concept behind this was to follow your dreams basically, which is a big jump sometimes, it’s not easy to leave a steady paying job,” he said.

The coffee truck does deliveries for staff, they can text LaVolpa their order and location, he said.

They give discounts to teachers and staff, public service, prior and current city of Albuquerque employees, all medical staff, social workers, volunteers, and single parents, he said.

They serve free coffee to Purple Heart veterans and cancer patients, he said.

“I think if someone can take a bullet for the country or go through chemo and radiation, they deserve a cup of coffee on me,” he said.

The Green Joe Coffee Truck can be contacted at 505-385-2663 and at the website http://www.greenjoecoffee.com.

The e-book will be up for sale on the website, iBooks, Kindle, and a couple other e-book platforms, he said.

“I’ve been working on it since the beginning of the truck and I’ll have that on the website hopefully in the next 30 days,” he said.

It is going to be a document with pictures and videos and information on how to build the floors, how to install plumbing and how to make different espresso drinks, he said.

It will be a resource for people that are looking into getting into the coffee truck business and something that they can start off of, he said.

“And to be honest, if I could have bought an e-book when I started this thing it would have saved me $4,000 because I made so many mistakes, like I’ve burned out generators from too much wattage and I put in this floor twice, this was a penny floor at one point and I had to put tile over it because it was a mess,” he said.

LaVolpa likes coffee because for him it is all about community, he said.

This community has been really good to him and he has enjoyed taking care of them as well, he said.

“I call coffee the fuel of passion. When someone comes to get a cup of coffee it’s because they got something to do, they’re on a mission and coffee is like this catalyst of people’s dreams, and I’m stoked about that,” he said.

Pavement Poet: Student spotlight on Chantelle Sanchez

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By Enos Herkshan, Staff Reporter

Eighteen year old English major, Chantelle Sanchez, shares her passion for poetry with Main Campus inhabitants whether they like it or not.

Sanchez said that her love for poetry came when she was in the seventh grade.

Ever since, writing has been a major presence in her life, resulting in hundreds of poems written about both personal and second hand experiences with love and relationships.

Love is the focus of most, if not all, of her poems, she said.

“I like writing about other people more than myself,” she said.

Not all of the content of her poetry comes directly from her life, she said.

When asked why she was writing poetry in chalk around campus, Sanchez said that it began back in April as a tribute to Poetry Month.

She said she had a desire to give life to her creation, art is meant to be experienced and she wanted to give her art that opportunity.

“I wasn’t doing shit with my poetry. I wanted to do something with it, something that people would enjoy…I wanted to do something that people were really going to see. Like, ‘what the fuck am I stepping on?’” she said.

Sanchez said that chalk written poetry was not her only effort in delivering her work to the public.

She once painted and wrote a poem on a stretched canvas and left it on campus with instructions written on the back for whom ever finds it to take it home or pass it on to someone who may enjoy it, she said.

This move was inspired by her favorite poet and author Ian S. Thomas after reading his book I Wrote This for You, she said.

Sanchez also spoke about Christmas tree ornaments that she painted, wrote poems on, and hung on trees around campus.

Sanchez shared a story about a classmate, who saw her writing the poetry on the sidewalk, coming up to her and asking if she were alright.

Based on the sadness of the poem a classmate of Sanchez’s felt the need to make sure that she was ok, she said.

“She was about to cry…I was like, ‘No, I’m fine,” she said.

However, not all responses have been of this nature, she said.

She recalled an experience where she felt appreciated for her work when a fellow student found out that she was the author of the poems seen around campus.

“I felt like a celebrity, for a moment, in an awkward way,” she said.

Being recognized for her writing motivated her to keep going, she said.

Chantelle said that even though her poetry can be sad at times, or seem a bit depressing, she is happy as any other person and the work that she does adds to that in a way that a creative outlet should.

If you have walked around Main Campus recently and seen words of love and emotion written in chalk on walkways or parking lots then you have most likely seen the work of Ms. Sanchez.

She attends and serves CNM Main Campus like a literary vigilante, a poet’s Batman, giving hope to creative souls searching for a means of exposure in the vast Gotham that we call CNM.

By offering her poetry at no one’s demand, simply for the love of her craft, Sanchez is putting her words, her art, her creativity and heart on display, open for judgment and consumption by complete strangers, for no personal gain.