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Grad Issue: Undocumented student hopes to reform healthcare after graduation

Brendon Gray | May 7

Estefania Montanez finished high school with an uncertain future. Her undocumented status, mother’s health and financial struggles seemed to stand in the way of her future. Now, she is graduating UNM with a degree in psychology and a full-ride scholarship for medical school, with a goal to reshape the healthcare system. As an undocumented student, Montanez’ challenges started before she had even started taking classes at UNM “A lot of the scholarships I would apply for I would get because of my good grades,” she said, “But I couldn’t receive the money because of my undocumented status.”

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Grad Issue: Florida transplant discovers diversity, inspiration at UNM

Gabriella Rivera | May 7

Delia Brennan said she came to UNM from Florida for the same reason many out-of-state students do: affordability. Brennan was not looking forward to moving to Albuquerque, nor to attending UNM, but now she considers New Mexico “more of a home than Florida” and is graduating with many accolades. “It started in orientation where I said, ‘I’m going to be positive about this,’” she said. Freshman year, Brennan joined the World Affairs Delegation and Emerging Lobo Leaders. “My original goal was to graduate with a degree in computer science...but after a year of that I realized I liked international relations, international law and things like that a lot more,” she said. “I learned that through joining the World Affairs Delegation and traveling and competing with them.”

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Grad Issue: 30 years later, student finishes her PhD

Bo Yu | May 7

“Suzanne, wherever you are, I hope you know that by affecting me positively...you had a profound influence on thousands of people,” said Lobo PhD graduate Giovanna Eisberg, a Family Studies major, as she wished to express her sincere thanks to former teaching assistant Suzanne Kryder. Eisberg, who currently holds five degrees, considered ending her college career 30 years ago after receiving a D on an exam. “(If) it wasn’t for her, I would never finish my college,” Eisberg said. “Her biggest impact was that...she understood that it was a breaking point for me...and gave me another opportunity.”

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Grad Issue: After 15 years of drug addiction, UNM grad plans to found recovery nonprofit

Celia Raney and Celia_Raney | May 7

On May 13, Jaime Cervantes will graduate from UNM with the class of 2017 after a nearly 15-year battle with drug addiction. After being accepted into every one of his top-choice schools immediately after graduating from a California high school in 1995, Cervantes chose to attend UCLA. Three weeks into his college experience, he was invited to a party where he discovered what any college student who has experimented with drugs hopes they never learn — he was an addict. “I met this girl on campus, and she invited me to a sorority party,” he said. “I tried cocaine for the first time in my life. (The cocaine) was her idea, she was older...I started hanging out with her, and that was it. My addiction started right then and there.”

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Grad Issue: From LA to UNM, one Lobo's story

Hannah Eisenberg | May 7

Having grown up a homosexual, African American youth in 1980s Los Angeles, Richard Bell understands the importance of having a voice, a way to advocate for your rights. Bell has been an advocate for gay rights through his work with nonprofits like the Santa Fe Human Rights Alliance/Pride, and he sees higher education as a way of strengthening his voice. "I think you need something behind that name of yours to get you a voice,” he said. “When those who are educated and have a degree speak up, people are more inclined to listen. So I wanted that. When I’m fighting for gay rights, when I’m speaking out against police brutality, I feel like my voice is stronger when there’s a degree behind my name."

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Grad Issue: Athlete finishes education after recovery

Isabel Gonzalez | May 7

November of 2015 was one of the most difficult times of his life, but today he’s figured out he can overcome anything with a positive attitude and the love of his family. Devon Williams joined the UNM men’s basketball team during the 2012-13 season. He redshirted that season and only appeared in five games. The following year, he started in 30 games. He scored in double figures in seven different occasions, had 48 offensive rebounds and led his team in blocks in six different games. Things were looking up for him, but his world shook up at the beginning of his junior season.

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Grad Issue: Valuable tennis player hopes to improve others' lives

Robert Maler | May 7

Someone landed a great shot at the McKinnon Family Tennis Center, the home courts for Lobo tennis, but there wasn’t a primal scream or even a fist pump. In fact, things stayed pretty quiet, despite the ball catching just enough of the end line to win the point. One of the players slowly started walking back to the baseline, staring at her racket for several seconds, and it seemed clear that she was processing information and in deep thought. It was difficult to tell whether she was happy with the way the previous point just played out — and it doesn’t even matter if it is one that she lost — but Rachana Bhat saw something in the exchange and she just filed it away in her memory bank. It is something that she will recall as the match progresses as she waits to implement it in her game plan. Bhat, a senior on the New Mexico women’s tennis team, is probably one of the most cerebral players a tennis fan could go out and watch compete.

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Grad Issue: Karmeshia Gray turns struggle against TB into strength

David Lynch | May 7

It was the summer of 2014. Karmeshia Gray was studying biology, with plans to become a doctor. The next step in that pursuit was applying for a job at UNM Hospital. But what began as a drive to get some experience for a career became a physical ordeal, a mental struggle and now, three years later, a story of motivation and strength. Gray was diagnosed in the summer of 2014 with tuberculosis, after an adverse reaction to an immunization caused a dormant form of the disease in her body to become active. She was in the process of getting all the required shots to work at UNMH, but the diagnosis turned her into a hospital patient instead of an employee. 

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Grad Issue: Student overcomes mental health challenges to achieve her BA

Kelly Urvanejo | May 7

The road to graduation was not easy, but after overcoming bullying, attempted suicide, dialectical therapy, eating disorder treatment and more, Melissa Baca is proud to say that she has reached the finish line and will graduate this month with her Bachelor's of Arts in English. Before beginning her junior year in high school, Baca was reported as having suicidal ideations, causing her to be placed in a behavioral hospital where she began therapy and treatment. In September of the following year, Baca attempted suicide. As a result, she was pulled out of school. “It wasn’t a safe environment for me,” she said.

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Developing story: Fire sparks outside Dane Smith Hall

Brendon Gray | May 5

This is a developing story. Updates will be provided as more information becomes available. A small brush fire started outside Dane Smith Hall shortly after 9 p.m. last night. The fire damaged the side of the building and several small bushes. The flames were contained at a gravel area on the northeast side of the building. There did not appear to be any other substantial damage.

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Visions Through the Viewfinder

Daily Lobo Photographers | May 3

Here at the Lobo, we're awfully proud of our photographers. Every semester we dedicate an entire issue to their terrific work. Here's our Spring 2017 photo issue selections.

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Protesters rally against Trump’s immigration policies with mock immigration detention center

Celia Raney and Celia_Raney | May 1

Undocumented immigrants rallied protesters Monday through the bars of a mock jail cell outside the Bernalillo Metropolitan Court House to denounce the “deportation of black and brown bodies.” More than 30 immigrant men, women and children gathered outside of the courthouse, staging a mock immigration detention center from which immigrants spoke out against “senseless deportations, family separations and militarization of our southern border.” Organized by the New Mexico Dream Team, a youth-lead statewide network immigrant group, the rally aimed to showcase the “power of community protection networks and empower more immigrants and people of conscience to join in the fight for sanctuaries of safety.”

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Q & A: Kyle Biederwolf on his last days as ASUNM President

David Lynch | April 30

Two weeks before the end of his term as Associated Students of UNM President, Kyle Biederwolf has a spotless desk. He’s wearing his characteristic cheery demeanor and an ASUNM T-shirt with a shade of red that almost blends him into the similarly-colored wall behind him. His suit jacket is draped over his chair. A year after being elected to his office, Biederwolf looks like he’s without battle scars, but anyone who’s been paying attention knows too much has happened — and continues to unfold — at the University for that to be the case. “One week, six days, 23 hours and 55 minutes,” is exactly how much longer Biederwolf said he has as president on the cold, rainy afternoon when I met him in his ASUNM office. It’s a humorous gesture more than a signal of someone who hasn’t appreciated the opportunity to serve as President, having also served two terms as ASUNM Senator.

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Trump's first 100 days: How does he compare?

Brendon Gray | April 30

The Trump administration’s first 100 days have been chock-full of successes, controversies and failures alike. The president is recording low approval ratings — 42 percent according to an aggregate calculated by FiveThirtyEight — and has begun moderating his stance on key issues. Here’s a rundown of some Trump’s moves on big issues, shifts in his position since the campaign and how he compares to other presidents. Foreign Policy Trump campaigned on a self-titled “America first” platform, saying in his inauguration speech from that day onward, “it’s going to be only America first.”

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Political science students respond to Governor's veto of higher education budget

Celia Raney and Celia_Raney | April 30

After Governor Susana Martinez vetoed all state funding for higher education in a messy budget battle, UNM students are left wondering what will happen to their beloved University. For the 2017 Fiscal Year, UNM received an estimated $2.85 billion, but after Martinez vetoed the Higher Education Budget for FY 2018 proposed by the Legislature, the University is left in the dark. As an action to protest legislative tax increases and spending, something the Republican governor pledged would not happen during her tenure, she vetoed a $6.1 billion spending bill for the next fiscal year. In her veto message Martinez also complained that the Senate had not scheduled a hearing for two nominations she had made to the UNM Board of Regents.

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Aspiring architects propose alternatives to border wall

Andres Del Aguila | April 28

“A wall will not only divide two neighboring countries, but two cultures and alliances that have been shared throughout the history of both nations,” Nicole Zollner said during a presentation on creating a “shared city born out of boundaries.” On Wednesday, students in UNM’s School of Architecture and Planning presented alternatives to President Donald Trump’s proposed border wall, such as renewable energy to drone patrols. UNM assistant professor Ane Gonzalez said she chose this topic to challenge her students to think about the “role of architects” in solving social and political problems.

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New Daily Lobo Editor-in-chief wants to advocate for students

Matthew Reisen | April 26

For Elizabeth Sanchez, the decision to become the editor-in-chief of the Daily Lobo goes hand-in-hand with her love for writing and pursuit of journalism. “Journalism is important. It’s all about advocating for people who don’t have a voice all the time,” she said. “Being in that position, I hope to continue to fulfil that role.” As editor-in-chief, Sanchez said she will add to the Daily Lobo’s online diversity, in the form of podcasts, documentary videos and building a stronger social media presence. Sanchez also wants to bring outside expertise into the workplace, implementing workshops to help new reporters and photographers hone their skills, she said.

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Sunshine powers $25 million solar project

Hannah Eisenberg | April 26

The future of Albuquerque’s renewable energy industry is about to get a lot brighter. This past week, the city of Albuquerque announced a $25 million project to increase its production of solar energy. The project, which will place solar panels on city-owned buildings, is expected to begin construction this summer. “The installation of these photovoltaic panels makes sense on so many levels. It provides clean energy to a growing city, provides much needed job opportunities and utilizes a resource that is very abundant in New Mexico — energy from the sun,” said Professor Donald Davis, of UNM’s Applied Technology Department.

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ASUNM prohibits the use of campus listservs to solicit votes

Celia Raney and Celia_Raney | April 26

After passing the Steering and Rules committee on April 19, ASUNM senators unanimously passed Bill 20S on Wednesday evening. The bill prohibits candidates running for any ASUNM position from using University-sanctioned listservs for the purpose of campaigning. As candidates campaigned for this year’s presidential elections, President-elect Noah Brooks and Vice President-elect Sally Midani sent two emails to all or almost all UNM students, reminding them to vote in the presidential elections and promoting their platform. Some students took issue with their emails being used without permission, prompting the new legislation. “During all election cycles this year, the use of University listservs has come up as a question from candidates,” said ASUNM Attorney General Sara Collins.

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Campus briefs for April 25, 2017

Matt Reisen | April 24

UNM Students get a sneak peak of Lobo Rainforest on April 26 According to a UNM Newsroom press release, a sneak peek for student housing at the Lobo Rainforest Building will be held Wednesday from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Interested residents will have an opportunity to tour the model room of the new student housing facility called Lobo Rainforest, which is located at 101 Broadway Blvd. NE, according to the press release. Applications are currently being accepted for student housing and are open to Innovation Academy students, current UNM Residents and UNM upperclassmen.