NEW MEXICO SIMON SCHOLARS Empowerment through self-discovery, exploration, and education.
2018 Summer Update
Welcome!
Welcome to the first edition of the New Mexico Simon Scholars Newsletter: Scholar Spotlight! In recent years, we have sent out a bi-annual newsletter to our college scholars, alumni, funders and Board of Directors. Moving forward, we intend to share more frequent updates about the Scholars Program with a much broader audience. Each edition will feature various programmatic updates and announcements. We hope you enjoy this new format and encourage others to subscribe to Scholar Spotlight!
In Focus: Anai Pulido
“Education is important because it opens the door to a lot of things, and no-one can take it away from you.”
Anai Pulido graduated high school from South Valley Academy in 2012. She earned her B.A. in Criminal Justice and Spanish with a Minor in Child Advocacy in 2016 from New Mexico State University, and completed her Masters of Public Administration from NMSU in the spring of 2018. Anai is the first in her family to pursue a college education.
Growing up as the youngest of six siblings, there were many things expected of Anai. Obtaining a college degree was not one of them. Read more about Anai…
Program Updates
The 2017-2018 New Mexico Simon Scholars Alumni Assocation Board of Directors:
Alyssa Romero, Janeth Santos, Maritza Ochoa, and Nancy Martinez
(from left to right)
In June, the Alumni Association board concluded their term with a professional conference on “Life After College.” This two-day event was envisioned and executed by the 2017-18 Alumni Association’s Board Members: Nancy Martinez, Alyssa Romero, Maritza Ochoa and Janeth Santos. The purpose of this conference was to provide support to current college students and program Alumni, and included:
Tips on preparing for graduate school
Career readiness skills
Financial planning
First-time home ownership
and round-table discussions facilitated by alumni volunteers
The event was also an opportunity for this impressive group of young professionals to build relationships among themselves and network with representatives of other organizations. The NMSSAA would like to extend a warm thank you to all the participants, those who helped organize the event, and to Nusenda Credit Union for coming out to share their financial expertise!
Annual Summer Retreats
This summer, our high school scholars participated in residential, experiential retreats with our staff, community members, and their fellow scholars.The Senior Retreat was held at St. John’s College in Santa Fe. During the retreat, scholars worked directly with college admissions staff and heard from current college scholars in preparation for the college application process. The retreat culminated with two days of camping at Cochiti Lake, in partnership with the St. John’s Outdoor Program.
Our rising high school juniors participated in a 4-day retreat at the Manzano Mountain Retreat Center in Torreon, NM. Scholars spent time sharing stories, learning more about the New Mexico Simon Scholars program, and participating in relationship building activities.
Enjoy a few scenes from our retreats below!
Upcoming Events
Class of 2020 Induction Ceremony
In early September, we will be honoring our new class of Simon Scholars. Our annual induction ceremony serves to recognize incoming scholars and their families and welcome them to our community. The event, held at Rio Chama in Santa Fe, allows our scholars to share their goals for the future and gratitude for friends and family.
Check our next newsletter and updates on our Facebook page for photos from this event!
“Education is important because it opens the door to a lot of things, and no-one can take it away from you.”
