Writer, photographer and powerlifter Mackenzie Schwartz is graduating from the University of New Mexico with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science and three years at the Daily Lobo under her belt.
Schwartz has had a passion for photography since high school and served as the Lobo photo editor for three semesters. She received the Mark Holm Photojournalism Award in 2023, which annually recognizes one Lobo photographer.
“(My passion) has grown more over the years, working at the Daily Lobo (and) attending sports, protests and campus events,” Schwartz wrote.
At the Lobo, Schwartz wrote about and photographed various local events, such as the Nizhoni Days Powwow, which her mom, Janice, said yielded her favorite of Schwartz’s photos.
“The photos alone told a story,” Janice wrote.
Schwartz is from Englewood, Colorado, and decided to attend college out-of-state despite the 2020 COVID-19 lockdowns, Janice wrote.
“Our proudest moment of (Schwartz) is now looking at all that she has accomplished these last four years,” Janice wrote.
Schwartz’s favorite event she covered for the Lobo was a United game. Doing both the writing and photography for that story provided her ample experience with multitasking, she wrote.
“My favorite memory working at the Lobo was at a men’s basketball game. I was taking photographs from the floor, looking through my viewfinder and noticed that one of the players was getting close. I put down my camera, and the player ran into me,” Schwartz wrote.
Outside of journalism, Schwartz worked as an intern and lab assistant in the Exercise Physiology Lab. Exercise science professor Leonard Kravitz — also Schwartz’s academic advisor for the past two years — described Schwartz as passionate, professional and positive.
Following graduation, Mackenzie will head to the University of Buffalo in New York to pursue a master’s degree in exercise science.
“I am nervous about graduating, just having to move to New York in a few months, but I am also excited about what the future will hold once I graduate,” Schwartz wrote.
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As for how her time at the Daily Lobo has impacted her life, Schwartz wrote that its effect was nothing but positive.
“I have made friends that I will cherish forever and have greatly improved my photography skills throughout the years. Working at the Daily Lobo has taught me more than I would have thought, (considering it’s) a hobby I had just picked up one day," Schwartz wrote.
Maria Fernandez is a freelance reporter at the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com
