Luke Macias
Senior
Psychology and English
Daily Lobo: What's your favorite place in New Mexico?
Luke Macias: Santa Fe.
DL: What do you like about Santa Fe?
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LM: The arts and culture.
DL: What do you like about UNM?
LM: The students.
DL: What do you like about the students?
LM: Everyone's really open-minded. They're liberal. It seems so. Everyone seems accepting of other people.
DL: Why do you think that is?
LM: Well, in high school, things were very racist and all that. Here, everything is a lot more accepted. It's just because at the University, people are at a higher level of acceptance and understanding. We're all here because we want to be here, not because we're forced to.
DL: Where did you go to high school?
LM: In Santa Fe.
DL: What's your favorite class you've taken so far?
LM: Any class with Steve Alley. He's a psychologist. I like all my English classes. I appreciate all my political science courses, too. I couldn't really say which one.
DL: Why do you like Alley's classes?
LM: Well, he was the reason I stayed with psychology. He's the reason I decided to continue with a major in psychology. He's got a good heart, and he knows how to keep everyone interested. There's people in the back of the class that wouldn't care. They'll start listening and paying attention to what he has to say. I've taken three classes with him.
DL: What do you find interesting about psychology?
LM: It's more based on how we came to be, whether it's genetics or environmental - the different things that affect us. That's more important - figuring out what combinations lead to what different types of people.
DL: What combinations have made you the person you are?
LM: I'd say genetics and divorce. I mean early on when I was a little kid. That all led up to it, but there's a lot of predispositions. Then, add in environmental effects like where I grew up and the type of people I lived around. I know high school greatly influenced me, just because it was this different environment that was a lot more harsh than I'd been used to. It was good. It was a really good, great experience for me. But I also never had experienced so much racism. It wasn't directed toward me, but it was just blatantly out there in front of you. Especially in a place where you'd think it'd be more accepting like Santa Fe, you think because there's all different people, but it's not really like that. That's what I appreciate about UNM.
DL: Have you learned anything cool in psychology, like how to mess with people's heads?
LM: No. I've learned that people don't trust you, and they don't want to tell you certain things when they know you're a psych major. They walk up to you, and they think that you're analyzing them all the time. You're really not. You're just paying attention, a little bit more educated.
DL: Why do you think that bothers people?
LM: Well, because who you are and who you really are are two different things sometimes. A lot of people usually have a lot of things to hide or things they're embarrassed or afraid of having revealed to the public.
~Jeremy Hunt
