Personal Essay
A Commitment to My Hometown
Albuquerque, New Mexico. When people hear those words, many images may come to mind. For some, it may be the television show Breaking Bad. For others, it may be the University of New Mexico Lobos or the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. For many others, there are negative associations: crime, drugs, and a large homeless population. When I hear the word “Albuquerque,” I only think of one thing: home.
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I was born and raised in Albuquerque. Many who live in Albuquerque were also born here. Albuquerque seems to be a place where people stick around, earning it the nickname “The Land of Entrapment,” a play on the state motto “The Land of Enchantment,” from many locals. It seems an odd juxtaposition. How could one feel trapped under these wide, bright blue skies? As a child, I always thought Albuquerque was like any other city. Sure, we did not have Disneyland, but that was okay. We had so many other things. It wasn’t until high school that I saw a shift in view.
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Coming into junior year of high school, the consensus of many high school students is, “I can’t wait to get out of Albuquerque; it sucks here.” Baffled by their statements, I felt excited to stay in Albuquerque and attend the University of New Mexico, Lobo basketball games, and Red Rally, like my cousins who attended UNM already had. These were things that seemed like great college experiences to me. Many of my peers did not agree.
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During the last two years of high school, it had begun to occur to me that Albuquerque was not the problem, but how we talked about the city. Many of my classmates' complaints boiled down to claiming that there was “nothing to do here.” In hindsight, that seems a ridiculous claim for high schoolers to make. At that age, few truly had a chance to experience things outside their homes or families. They had not experienced a sense of community. Many of these people had only spent time around their families and listening to the local news rehash details of some crime that happened far from their homes. No wonder they thought Albuquerque sucked. I wonder if kids in New York or Chicago can’t wait to leave? Do they feel the same need to escape? Do they think there is nothing to do in cities that most consider to be fun places?
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As I got older, and traveled to other cities in the United States, I appreciated Albuquerque so much more. It was harder to understand the level of hate that many locals held for it. Even people from surrounding states were moving here at a high rate because they found something to love about it. I wondered why people could not see what I see in Albuquerque.
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Finally, something happened that made me feel almost embarrassed of Albuquerque. In December of 2022, the rivalry between the University of New Mexico and New Mexico State University reached a boiling point when a tragic shooting involving a basketball player from NMSU and a student from UNM became a national point of interest. I watched a fascinating response play out. Since New Mexico has no major league sports teams, our college teams are extremely important to our citizens. In the hours and days following the news of the shooting, fans waited anxiously for a response from both schools, the police, and national media. I was fascinated by the statements issued by these entities, the wording, the choice to release a written statement as opposed to hosting a press conference, and even the photos used in the news. I scrutinized everything in a press conference, from the speaker’s posture to their outfit. I read many updates on social media posted by UNM’s athletic department while they corrected information circulating in national media. National media companies were releasing stories that were mixing the two schools. The UNM media and communications team had to be vigilant, ensuring that UNM’s name was not tarnished by any mixed images.
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Watching this situation unfold helped me realize that there was something I could do to help people see the good in Albuquerque. I could work for UNM and use my deep love for this city and the university to help with the image. Within a year, I secured a job at UNM a job as a development assistant with UNM's School of Engineering. I found a great sense of pride in serving my alma mater. While development is a wonderful field, I knew that I wanted to work in marketing. When an opportunity to move to marketing was recommended to me, I jumped. Since the summer of 2024, I have been the marketing coordinator for the UNM Health Sciences Library and Informatics Center. I find great fulfillment in my work and look forward to continue serving this wonderful university.