For Rochelle Lopez, going to college has always felt like something worth working toward. But as a first-generation college student, figuring out how to get there has meant learning a process her family had never navigated before.
This fall, Rochelle will begin studying biology at the University of Denver, with plans to attend dental school and become an orthodontist. She is taking that next step as a 2026 LANL Foundation scholarship recipient.
“I had no clue what I was doing applying to college and trying to figure out scholarships,” Rochelle says. “It was difficult for me.”
Her story is one familiar to many students across Northern New Mexico: having the ability and ambition to pursue higher education, while navigating a college system without the benefit of a family roadmap.
For Rochelle, that journey has been shaped by the people who stepped in to help her along the way.
Finding her path
A 2026 graduate of Peñasco High School, Rochelle graduated as valedictorian with a 4.0 GPA and completed more than 40 dual credit hours. She served as class president and National Honor Society president, competed in cross country, basketball and track, and became a two-time state champion in the 1,600- and 3,200-meter races. She was also part of Peñasco’s state championship basketball team and later served as team captain.
But Rochelle says some of the most important things she gained during high school weren’t captured on a transcript.
Her teachers, coaches and mentors helped her understand what was possible and gave her people to turn to when she had questions about college, scholarships and her future.
“I think a lot of the younger generation are afraid to ask for help,” she says. “I know at first I was, because I was like, what if I say the wrong thing, what if I do the wrong thing?”
Eventually, Rochelle learned to ask anyway.
“I realized there’s no wrong answer. Every question is going to help me.”
She also participated in ROCA, or Rural Opportunities for College Access, which supported her as she researched colleges and prepared for the application process. And through Big Brothers Big Sisters, she spent three years mentoring an elementary student—an experience that strengthened her interest in working with children.
A family built on resilience
Rochelle’s path to college is especially meaningful because she was raised by her grandparents.
Her family has faced significant challenges, including substance addiction. Through those experiences, her grandparents provided the stability and encouragement she needed to keep moving forward.
“There were times where I wanted to quit a lot of the time,” Rochelle says. “I think just talking to them throughout that experience, and them being there for me and supporting me was huge.”
Her experience has also given Rochelle a broader understanding of how many young people are growing up in Northern New Mexico.
During a conversation about the experiences of young people in the region, she reflected on the number of children being raised by grandparents, aunts, uncles and other family members.
“It just puts it into perspective that it’s not just our community. It’s around all Northern New Mexico,” she says.
For Rochelle, supporting students means recognizing the different circumstances they bring with them—and making sure those circumstances don’t prevent them from pursuing their goals.
Opportunity can change what comes next
Rochelle believes rural students have tremendous potential.
Growing up in Peñasco, she knows firsthand that students in rural communities may have fewer opportunities to explore college and career paths than students in larger cities. But she doesn’t see a lack of ambition.
“When we’re presented with opportunity, I think we’re all eager just to take them,” she says. “Prove to ourselves that we can be as good, even better than kids that have those opportunities growing up.”
That is the opportunity a scholarship can provide.
For a student who is the first in their family to attend college, a scholarship can help make the next step feel possible. It can provide financial support while also sending a powerful message:
Someone believes in you. Your goals are worth pursuing.
For Rochelle, that support comes at a pivotal moment as she leaves the community that raised her and begins college in Colorado.
She isn’t leaving her roots behind. She is taking with her the lessons she learned from her grandparents, the encouragement of her teachers and coaches, and the confidence built through every opportunity that helped her discover what she could accomplish.
And one day, she hopes to offer that same sense of possibility to children of her own.
Rochelle plans to become an orthodontist, inspired in part by her own experience with braces and her desire to help children feel confident and cared for.
Help the next Rochelle take the next step
Rochelle’s story is one example of what is possible when a talented young person has the support to pursue higher education.
Across Northern New Mexico, there are more students with big goals, strong work ethic and the potential to make a difference in their communities. Many are also the first in their families to navigate the path to college.
Your support can help open that door.
When you give to the LANL Foundation’s scholarship program, you are not simply helping a student pay for college. You are investing in a student’s ability to imagine a future, pursue an education and build a life shaped by their own goals.
Help us make that opportunity possible for more Northern New Mexico students.