It can be daunting for new students to try to make friends in college. Here are five ways I recommend new students engage with the University of New Mexico community and make some new pals. .
On Saturday, May 4, the University of New Mexico Divine Nine Greek Life chapters established the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) in a milestone over a decade in the making. The Divine Nine consists of nine historically Black fraternities and sororities. Kaelyn Moon, president of the NPHC and member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., made a speech during the chartering ceremony on the history of the Council at UNM. The effort has been ongoing since 2010 with undergraduate Black Greek life members researching, writing proposals and speaking with UNM leadership and Albuquerque’s Black Greek life alumni community, Moon said in her speech.
The Unviersity of New Mexico LGBTQ Resource Center’s 13th annual Pride Convocation honored graduates and awardees on Friday, May 3. Attendees and speakers paraded into the Honors College forum to Beyoncé’s “Break My Soul” to begin the evening’s festivities. The celebration included speeches from LGBTQRC Director Frankie Flores, UNM President Garnett Stokes and UNM Division for Equity and Inclusion President Assata Zerai. Madison Otero, UNM senior and co-chair of Juniper Reimagined – UNM’s Queer and Trans student alliance – served as the student speaker for the event. In her speech, she thanked the center and spoke to her fellow graduates about what to hold on to and what to let go.
There are roughly 22,000 students enrolled at the University of New Mexico, meaning that hundreds – if not thousands – of students will be graduating this weekend. Thousands of attendees are expected to be at the main graduation ceremony. Undergraduates and master’s students must RSVP for University Commencement by Monday, May 6 at 12 p.m. The ceremony will be held at 9 a.m. on Saturday, May 5 at The Pit, and students should prepare to arrive an hour early. From there, the main undergraduate ceremony will commence.
Francesca Cicconetti’s life has been dominated by sports. From an early age, she watched games with her family, which led to a high school career in volleyball. At the University of New Mexico, she covered sports for the Daily Lobo and started a temporary job with the New Mexico Ice Wolves. Cicconetti graduates from UNM with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication. Her family moved to Albuquerque when she was young; later, she attended Volcano Vista High School. Cicconetti graduated in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic and originally wanted to go out of state for college, but stayed close to home and doesn’t regret a thing.
“I was like, ‘F*ck, I’m not getting a job,’” Katrina Estrada said about her 2022 interview to be a freelance photographer at the Daily Lobo – during which she burst into laughter when a pigeon attacked then photo editor Mackenzie Schwartz. A week later, she was hired. She soon became the multimedia editor, and later, the photo editor. She graduates from the University of New Mexico with a bachelor’s degree in film this spring. “I chose film because I’ve always been in love with the art. I think it started with my love for photography that started at a very young age, and then it blossomed into wanting to delve into other visual medias,” Estrada said.
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.
Paloma and Leila Chapa, Daily Lobo staff members and Women’s Soccer Club founders, are graduating from the University of New Mexico this spring with degrees in environmental planning and design. The twins started at UNM in 2019 and quickly became involved with the campus community. In September 2023, Paloma became multimedia editor for the Lobo and helped build the video desk. Leila joined the Lobo as a videographer in February 2024. The two were excited to create videos together – a longtime passion of theirs – and gain new experiences at the Lobo, they said.
BillyJack Davidson has worked for the Daily Lobo as the men’s basketball beat reporter this past season, covering community events on the side. He graduates from the University of New Mexico this spring with a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts. Davidson was born and raised in Albuquerque and said he has no intention of leaving. As a third generation Lobo, he said he is proud to graduate from UNM as it has been his dream from a young age. Davidson chose liberal arts because it allowed him to explore every subject available, he said.
The Daily Lobo’s outgoing editor-in-chief, Maddie Pukite, has spent their time at the University of New Mexico and in student publications making change. Pukite graduates this spring with two bachelor’s degrees – one in political science and one in Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies – and two minors – one in Honors Interdisciplinary Liberal Arts and one in Journalism & Mass Communication. Pukite served as a reporter, managing editor and editor-in-chief throughout their four years on Lobo staff. While doing so, they maintained a steady college schedule, taking 18-21 credits per semester.
On Sunday, April 28, the University of New Mexico Kiva Club hosted its annual Nizhoni Days Powwow on Johnson Field. The theme for this year’s powwow was “Honoring Our Mothers,” to honor women of every Indigenous community at the event, according to Kiva Club Communications Chair Lea Aguino. The Powwow marked the end of Nizhoni Days, a week-long celebration held by UNM American Indian Student Services that included board games, culture-focused conferences and craft classes. Nizhoni translates to "beautiful" in Diné, according to Aguino.
On Friday, April 26, the University of New Mexico Student Union Building hosted Plant Night – an event where students received free plants and decorated their pots. The art supplies to paint the pots were provided by the SUB. Harsh Kumar, an attendee of the event, and his family painted their pot with bright colors and nature. Kumar’s family doesn’t keep ornamental plants – grown for their appearance rather than functionality – too often, he said. Instead, they spend their time taking care of their edible plants.
On Friday, April 19, the Associated Students at the University of New Mexico Southwest Film Center held their ninth annual Cherry Reel Film Festival, showcasing 19 student-made films. This was the first time the event was held in Popejoy Hall. This year's festival showcased films ranging from documentary, to narrative, to experimental, according to Rylee Norman, executive director of the Southwest Film Center. Students, filmmakers and actors filled the seats of the auditorium to witness the screen light up with films made by fellow students and friends. After the screenings, nine films were awarded in eight categories, including Best Animation, Best in Festival and Best Directing.
On Thursday, April 18, therapy dogs from the Southwest Canine Corps of Volunteers visited the University of New Mexico to help students decompress before finals week. The event encouraged UNM community members to take time out of their days to hang out with each dog and speak with their volunteers, event coordinator Lucia Pierce wrote. “This event really encourages a lot of conversation and so many people leave with a smile on their face. The canine volunteers really seem to enjoy their interactions too,” Pierce wrote.
“These films are not mainstream movies; they are authentic representations that the people want to see,” shiloh burton said. The second annual Film Symposium at the National Hispanic Cultural Center (NHCC), titled “Power of Our Stories,” took place April 10-13, showcasing a diverse series of films. This included “Unseen” (2023), “Singing our Way to Freedom” (2018) and “Salt of the Earth” (1954), along with eight others. The free event featured themes of labor unity, Chicanx and Indigenous rights and how the influence of music and art has impacted the movement for freedom among marginalized communities.
The University of New Mexico is entering its Taylor Swift era as the Honors College introduces a new class in the fall, “Taylor Swift: Honors Version.” Under the guidance of lecturer Maria Szasz, a self-proclaimed "Swiftie" and seasoned educator, the full semester course will explore various jukebox musicals and Swift songs. It will culminate in the class creation of a jukebox musical featuring Swift's songs. “The goal of the class is to study Taylor Swift's music, lyrics, philanthropy, economic impact and everything she's doing for women and artists,” Szasz said. “And the class will then create their own jukebox musical based on the life, song lyrics (and) eras of Taylor Swift.”
Fiestas, an event organized by the Associated Students at the University of New Mexico, took place on Johnson Field on Saturday, April 6. The event featured many talented artists in the lineup and closed with headliner, B.o.B. Albuquerque local band “Slums of Harvard” took the stage, busting out some of their most popular songs and giving the crowd their renditions of songs by other artists, such as Goodbye Forever and covers of “Holiday” by Green Day, “Dirty Little Secret” by The All-American Rejects and “Sugar, We’re Goin’ Down” by Fall Out Boy.
The University of New Mexico celebrated Women’s History Month with a special guest lecture from Alejandra Dubcovsky who presented her research on the role of women in Native American history in the Florida region. Her book, “Talking Back: Native Women and the Making of the Early South,” provides commentary on the disservice done to women when their stories are left untold. Contrasts across translations and cultures often highlight an important difference between how Native and non-Native cultures view women and tell women’s stories, if they tell them at all, Dubcovsky said. Gaps where women should be but aren’t are a major problem that Dubcovsky said she hopes to solve.
Several times per year, The University of New Mexico Art Museum highlights social topics with its installations, ranging from featured exhibits and UNM’s personal permanent selection of artwork to donated pieces. From now until mid-May, the UNMAM will display “Hindsight Insight 4.0,” a multifaceted exhibit that portrays issues pertinent to college students – including gender, sexuality, race and the environment – using artworks from different concentrations and artistic expressions. The exhibit includes works from multiple generations, genders, sexualities and artists from UNM and beyond.
The Albuquerque BioPark Zoo could bear-ly contain its excitement for International Polar Bear Day on Feb. 27. The zoo hosted an event to celebrate these animals, which featured hands-on exhibits, story times and live fish feeding. The resident polar bear of the BioPark is named Kiska – a 27-year-old male who has been living in the 505 since the ‘90s. His habitat was renovated and upgraded inFebruary. He now spends his days with a 20-foot waterslide and 14-foot pool, according to the Albuquerque BioPark. Alongside Albuquerque, Polar bears and their advocates celebrate International Polar Bear Day across the globe.
Solutions by The State News
